Google promised its Gemini AI wouldn’t be a mere chatbot replacement for Google Assistant. In the coming weeks, we’ll see if that pledge holds up. Gemini extensions will allow the AI to access users more Google apps rather than just Gmail or YouTube. If it works as intended, it could be the first true cross-phone AI integration.
In a blog post, Google offered a rough time frame for when we’ll be able to integrate Gemini with different Workspace apps like Google Keep, Google Calendar, Tasks, and Utilities. Currently, Gemini can work with Gmail, Maps, and YouTube. The general concept is that, at users’ request, the AI will be able to pull information from one app to the other without users needing to scroll to find the information they’re looking for.
As an example, the Mountain View tech giant said users should be able to pull a recipe from Gmail and then add the ingredients into a note in Keep. It will also work with your phone’s camera, and if users take a photo of a receipt or concert ticket, you should be able to set it as an event or reminder in Calendar.
These features should be dropping in the next few weeks, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long before we try Google’s Geminification of our phones for ourselves. The Gemini app has already taken over most of Assistant’s former duties, and earlier this week, Google gave every Android phone access to Gemini Live. This feature lets you have a conversation with your phone in a more natural way than the base Gemini, which still works better with short and sweet commands.
Google showcased some of these features at its big August showcase, revealing the new Pixel 9 series alongside new watches and Pixel Buds. Apple has promised very similar capabilities with its still-incoming Apple Intelligence. So far, we haven’t had the chance to test either company’s full mobile AI integrations. The idea seems sound, but knowing how finicky and inconsistent AI can be, we’re not exactly holding our breath for a real mobile ecosystem sea change.
I may have far less use for a conversational AI than I would for an assistant who can uproot the important emails from my flooded inbox. On Wednesday, Google said it was updating Gmail’s “summary cards” and “Happening soon” features. Happening soon should show the most timely updates, such as deliveries or events happening, based on your emails.
Summary cards now show more information right at the top of each email for purchases, events, bills, and travel registrations. You can add events to your calendar, just like before. But now you can also modify your bookings or get directions to an airport or venue.
Google said Gemini was getting access to more than 40 languages other than English, eventually. First on the list are French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Hindi. The rest will come sometime in the future. Each phone’s Gemini Live can support conversations with up to two languages at a time. Now even more people will be able to see their Android phone transform into an AI device. The cross-platform mobile AI does feel enticing, especially for those of us with too many things going on to remember where the hell you put that one email with the event registration. However, for those who prefer their phones to be AI-free and still get new features, you may need to bite the Gemini bullet.
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