If you’re seeking a digital assistant recommendation for Android devices, the process typically involves seeking advice through word of mouth or online searches. However, this might change soon as Android is considering displaying recommended digital assistants to users. Currently, this feature appears to be in development and is already visible to some users with specific device types. At present, Android does not provide recommendations for digital assistants; it only lists available options on the default apps page.

Users can choose which assistant they prefer as their default. Recently, Mishaal Rahman from Android Authority discovered hints in the Android 16 beta from a few months ago suggesting that Google intended to introduce a section for recommended digital assistants on the default apps page. This new feature would identify certain assistants as “optimized” for specific devices. Recent updates indicate that this designation is now operational for some devices.

This recommendation feature has not been widely implemented across all Android devices but seems to be available on select Galaxy models. After noticing this development, Android Authority reached out to Google for clarification. Google revealed that this update was made at the request of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), very likely Samsung. Samsung has offered recommendations for default digital assistants in its settings menu since at least One UI 7, and this continues with One UI 8, though the phrasing has changed slightly.

It’s uncertain if Samsung was the specific OEM that requested this change, but it seems to be the sole manufacturer to have adopted this UI adjustment. Interestingly, Google has indicated that it does not plan to introduce this recommendation feature on its Pixel devices. Therefore, future Pixel models will not have suggestions indicating which digital assistant is optimized for use, at least for now.