Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Some Perplexity users claim their devices are automatically switching back Gemini or Google Assistant.
- It’s unclear what’s causing these devices to switch from one AI assistant to another.
- However, some users claim Perplexity remains the default option on their devices.
Earlier this year, Perplexity released its AI agent, Perplexity Assistant, on Android. Since its launch, Perplexity Assistant has been giving Gemini and Google Assistant a run for their money with over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store. Although some users have switched over to Perplexity’s product, it appears an issue is causing them to unintentionally switch back to Gemini or Google Assistant.
Multiple Perplexity users are reporting (via TechIssuesToday) that their devices are automatically reverting to Google Assistant or Gemini. One user on X (formerly Twitter) claims “Switches back after every update and restart. Thought it was normal!” Another user on Reddit says, “Perplexity brought an assistant update. I checked it last night; it was working properly, but when I saw it in the morning, it automatically changed in Google Assistant.”
Perplexity’s CEO Aravind Srinivas has caught wind of the growing number of reports and stated on X:
Hearing incidents of Google secretly switching the assistant back to Google from Perplexity without the Perplexity user’s consent. Don’t know if this is true yet. If this is happening to you, please share here.
It appears Srinivas is attempting to obtain feedback to get an idea of how widespread this issue is.
Not everyone is running into this problem, however. Some of the people who replied to Srinivas say they have not experienced the issue and that Perplexity remains the default option on their device.
It’s unclear what could be causing these devices to switch from Perplexity to Gemini or Google Assistant. Some users speculate it could be underhanded behavior on Google’s part. But the answer could just as easily be a bug with Android, Perplexity, or both. It’s also possible the problem could be tied to specific devices or updates.
Have you experienced this issue on your Android phone yet? Let us know in the comments below.
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