There’s little reason for someone to replace Google Assistant as the default assistant on their Android smartphone given just how good the assistant is. However, if you prefer Alexa over Assitant for some reason, here’s a good news for you. You can set Alexa as the default assistant on your Android device running Oreo. 

This means that when you long press the home button to trigger your personal assistant, it would be Alexa that pops up and not Google Assistant.

To set Alexa as the default voice assistant, you need to ensure that you have the Alexa app installed and set up on your device. Then, head over to the Settings menu and change the Assist app to Amazon Alexa. You can search for the Assist option if you can’t find it under Accessibility. You won’t be able to trigger Alexa using your voice by saying “Alexa” though. Your only option here is to long press the home button.

The option to set Alexa as the default assistant is showing up on plenty of Android devices running Android 8.0 Oreo or higher. This includes the Pixel 1/2, Galaxy S8/S9, Galaxy Note 8, and Sony’s Xperia lineup. The option should show up on your device once you update the Alexa app on your Android device to the latest version from the Play Store. Do note that on the Pixel 2, you won’t be able to trigger Alexa by squeezing the handset. Like other handsets, your option here is limited to long pressing the home button.

Alexa might not be as smart as Google Assistant in most tasks, but it does have a clear advantage over the latter in some scenarios including compatibility with smart home devices. And as a bonus, it even has a better Amazon integration thereby making shopping easier.