What was the Pixel 9’s mysterious, canceled Pixie assistant?

Way back in late 2023, we heard that Google was working on a new digital assistant that was evidently planned to debut on the Pixel 9 in 2024. Evidently called Pixie, the assistant would have handled AI tasks on-device using a Gemini Nano model. But the AI never materialized. So what happened to Pixie, and will we ever see it again?

What was Pixie?

According to reporting from The Information, Pixie was meant to be an on-device AI assistant exclusive to Google Pixel phones, conceived before the Gemini chatbot hit the scene (it was still Google Bard back then). Using a local Gemini Nano model, the AI would have pulled data from the Google apps on your phone to offer more personalized assistance. The Information said in 2023 that Pixie could have evolved “into a far more personalized version of the Google Assistant.”

Pixie was apparently planned to take over assistant duties from the Google Assistant on Google’s phones. That obviously never happened, though Google has officially announced its plans to phase out the legacy Assistant in favor of Gemini in the near future.

What happened to Pixie?

The Pixel 9 series landed last year without any mention of the Pixie assistant that had been rumored the year before. Subsequent reporting from The Information (brought to our attention by 9to5Google) sheds some light on what may have happened to Pixie.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly personally ordered a shift in strategy with Pixie to avoid competition with Google’s priority AI assistant, Gemini. The Pixie branding seems well and truly retired, but some Pixie features did end up making it to the Pixel 9. Pixel Screenshots, a local AI feature powered by the Gemini Nano XS model, evidently started life as Pixie functionality. 9to5Google has also reported that Gemini’s Utilities extension that allows the AI to directly control device settings, media playback, alarms, and more was, at one time, planned to be part of the Pixie experience.

The Information has reported that these features apparently spun out of Pixie don’t quite make for an experience all that similar to what Pixie would have been. It’s possible that we’ll see more of what Pixie could have been in the future, though.

Could Pixie make a comeback?

With Gemini so clearly a priority for Google, it seems unlikely that we’ll see the release of a Pixel-exclusive AI assistant that overlaps with Gemini’s feature set — in fact, with Gemini set to replace Google Assistant on most devices in the near future, Google seems like it’s going the opposite direction. But a March report from Android Authority referencing “a source inside Google” says that more Pixie functionality will come to the Pixel 10 series in the form of a new app called Pixel Sense.

It seems like Pixel Sense won’t compete directly with Gemini, but will instead try to provide “predictive” suggestions based on context from your connected Google apps, including Calendar, Chrome, Gmail, Keep, Maps, and more. Pixel Sense will also apparently be able to organize your screenshots into a searchable archive like the current Pixel Screenshots app does, hinting that it may replace Screenshots altogether.

Pixel Sense will operate entirely on-device; Android Authority quotes a source as saying that “Your data stays private—visible only to you, not even Google can see it.”

AA’s reporting doesn’t paint a complete picture of how the Pixel Sense app will actually work, but as described, it sounds like it could function similarly to the long-deprecated Google Now, or Samsung’s similar S25 feature, Now Brief. Those features also aim to provide information as you need it, informed by context from your connected accounts. With access to what seems like essentially all the information stored in your Google account and powered by Gemini Nano, Pixel Sense could potentially do a better job at delivering useful updates as you need them.

Gemini is your Android AI assistant for the foreseeable

The Pixie assistant will likely never see the light of day in its initially planned form; Google’s putting all its assistant eggs in the Gemini basket. But it’s looking like we’ll get more of Pixie’s functionality on the Pixel 10 series in the form of the new Pixel Sense app. As for what exactly Pixel Sense is, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s possible we’ll hear more at Google I/O, which kicks off next month.