Google has fully replaced Google Assistant with Gemini. But it's not your only option.
Android now lets you set other AI apps, like ChatGPT and Claude, as your default assistant. If you pay for either, it's tempting to use it everywhere.
I made each one my default assistant and gave it the same everyday tasks: alarms, texts, calendar events, directions, quick math, and a few longer conversations. I got some interesting results.
To switch assistants on your Samsung Galaxy, go to > > Choose default apps > Digital assistant app. You can also assign it to the side key under > Advanced features > Side button > Long press.
ChatGPT is a great talker that can't touch your phone
It's perfect for questions and conversation
ChatGPT is my first choice for plenty of daily tasks in its own app, so I expected it to do well here. And it did, as long as all I wanted to do was talk.
It got every question right, like calculating an 18% tip on $64.50, converting 350 °F to °C, translating "Where is the train station?" to Spanish, and stating the capital of Australia.
Its conversational sense also stood out. When you wake ChatGPT with the side key (power button), it keeps listening even after it answers, until you close it.
You can ask a follow-up question without tapping a mic button or anything. You can also cut it off mid-sentence without losing the thread.
I like that it fills the wait between your query and its reply with small check-ins like "just checking that for you." That doesn't change the result, but it makes the exchange feel more natural.
You can to sound even less robotic.
But it can't set an alarm
Conversations are a small part of what a voice assistant does. You also want it to be able to perform tasks on your phone, and ChatGPT completely fell apart:
- I asked for a 6:30 a.m. alarm and got instructions to set it myself.
- It said it would start one, then stayed on the working screen for several minutes and never did.
- It set one inside the ChatGPT chat, not in a reminders app. But I did get a notification for the reminder later that day.
- Flashlight, Do Not Disturb, screenshots, and calls: It only spoke instructions.
- It searched for SMS plugins, then offered a draft it couldn't send.
- It needs Google Calendar connected first.
- Shopping list: It suggested I connect TickTick.
The issue is that ChatGPT can't operate your device or control other apps.
Its answers don't always show up on screen
Usually, when an assistant answers a query, you get the text response on screen as it reads it out.
But ChatGPT was very inconsistent with this. Sometimes it gave a text response; other times it didn't, and there was no clear pattern.
For example, when I asked for a message to my landlord, it read it aloud without the on-screen text. That means I have to remember every word and type it myself, which isn't feasible.
The silver lining is that every request opens a new chat in your ChatGPT account, so you can always find the responses. But that also means your history gets crowded very quickly.
ChatGPT can't see your screen, but Circle to Search still works, so you won't miss much. It also doesn't activate on the lock screen; it plays its activation sound, but shows nothing.
Claude is closer to a real assistant than I expected
It actually sets things on your phone
In my tests, Claude was much closer to Gemini than ChatGPT was.
Unlike ChatGPT, which couldn't touch anything on my phone, Claude set a 6:30 a.m. alarm and a 10-minute timer.
It also added Calendar events after I approved its permission request. It's no surprise my colleague Ben was happy to let Claude run his Google Calendar for a week.
However, Claude can't set reminders. When I asked for one, it created an alarm instead, which is a reasonable workaround.
It doesn't work inside most of your apps, either. When I asked for the nearest pharmacy, it requested permission to use my precise location, then found one on my street with its opening hours and phone number.
But it couldn't open Maps or give directions; it told me to search for the place myself.
Connectors do the heavy lifting if you enable them
While Claude doesn't work with all your apps, it has connectors for some.
It can , access your calendar events through Google Calendar, and perform tasks in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. It also works with several third-party apps, including Canva, Notion, Microsoft 365, Slack, Figma, HubSpot, Asana, Adobe, Shopify, and more.
However, you have to set up each connection in the Claude app first. In my test, Gmail and Google Calendar needed reconnecting before Claude could use them.
Conversations come with a few quirks
Like ChatGPT, Claude breezes through general questions that have nothing to do with controlling your device.
It stays active after you wake it with the power button, so you can continue conversations or interrupt without pressing another button.
But it has some rough edges. It sometimes transcribed my English prompts in Arabic script, heard "Team lunch" as "Team launch," and showed raw asterisks where the bold text should have been.
One time, after repeated use, voice mode dropped out with an "unavailable" error.
Claude can't toggle your flashlight or Do Not Disturb, open apps, take screenshots, send texts, or make calls. It also can't see your screen, and you can't use it without unlocking your phone.
That matches what Parth found after a month with Claude in place of Gemini: it's the better thinker, but it's less connected to your phone.
Gemini is still the one to keep, but Claude comes close
I was genuinely impressed by Claude's ability to handle on-device tasks like alarms and timers, and control some Google apps.
However, Gemini still wins as an assistant thanks to its better integration with your Android phone.
It handled nearly every task in my test, from turning on my flashlight and saving reminders in Google Tasks to reading my screen and working on the lock screen. It's also the only one with a wake word.
If you're wondering which AI tool is better, here's after a month of use.