With Google retiring Assistant next month and Gemini still fumbling basic tasks like hands-free calling, Android users need an alternative. Dicio, a free and open-source voice assistant, runs entirely on-device and handles the fundamentals well enough to serve as a daily driver.
What Dicio actually does
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Dicio processes speech locally instead of routing queries through cloud servers. According to its GitHub page, the app "interprets user input and (when possible) generates user output entirely on-device, providing privacy by design."
The supported skills cover most everyday assistant tasks: weather, web search, song lyrics, app launching, calculations, navigation via Google Maps, calling contacts, timers, media control, joke-telling, notification reading, and flashlight toggling. Wake-word detection works without a network connection.
ZDNet's Jack Wallen tested Dicio against the standard Assistant workflow. Timers, hands-free calls, media controls, weather queries, and navigation all worked as expected. Reading notifications also passed.
Where Dicio falls short
Two gaps stand out. Dicio cannot compose or send emails and messages by voice. For professionals who dictate replies while driving, that is a real limitation.
The bigger hole: no Android Auto integration. The assistant simply does not connect with the car interface, which means drivers are stuck with Gemini or silence when behind the wheel. Wallen also noted that some third-party apps fail to open despite Dicio confirming the command. Spotify, for example, reported success but did not launch. Calculations also failed, though the developer has acknowledged the bug.
Setup takes two minutes
Dicio is available in the Google Play Store. After installing, users grant microphone permission, download a speech-to-text model, and pull the AI model for wake-word detection. The entire process finishes in under two minutes. The wake word is pronounced "diss-eee-oh."
Because the app handles recognition on-device, there is no account sign-in and no data leaving the phone. That is the core privacy promise, and it holds up. Nothing is sent to a third party.
Logicity's Take
Dicio fills a narrow but real niche: users who want basic voice control without feeding data to Google. It is not a feature-for-feature replacement. The missing Android Auto support alone disqualifies it for anyone who relies on in-car commands. But for home and desk use, where hands-free calls, timers, and navigation matter more than dictation, it is a functional stopgap. Development is active, so the feature list may grow before Google officially kills Assistant.
Why this matters now
Google confirmed Assistant's shutdown for September 2026. Gemini is the designated successor, but its reliability on basic tasks remains inconsistent. Wallen previously documented Gemini's failures with hands-free calling, a problem Assistant handled without issue.
For users who value predictable voice commands over AI-powered conversation, Dicio offers a third path. It is not smarter than Assistant. It is simpler, local, and free. Whether that trade-off works depends on what you actually ask your phone to do.
Context on Google's Gemini direction as Assistant winds down
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Source: Latest news
Huma Shazia
Senior AI & Tech Writer
Produced with AI assistance and reviewed by the Logicity editorial team. Learn more in our Editorial Policy.
