Gemini’s New Features Enhance Mobile Control Experience

It’s that time of year again—Gemini season is here! Google is unveiling a slew of new Gemini features during its pre-I/O Android showcase, designed to make your phone work harder for you. Expect to see Gemini integrated into more areas, including Chrome on Android, autofill suggestions, and various apps—if you choose to enable it.

In a move to keep things fresh, Google has introduced a new term: Gemini Intelligence. According to Ben Greenwood, Google’s director of Android experiences, this brings the best of Gemini to the latest high-end Android devices. Some existing and new features are being bundled under this name, primarily aimed at premium Android phones like the Galaxy S26 series. Mark that one on your I/O bingo card!

One standout feature is task automation, which is already available on some recent Pixel and Samsung Galaxy devices. This allows Gemini to handle certain apps for you, but until now, it was limited to a few rideshare and food delivery services. Google promises that this will expand “soon,” opening up task automation to a broader selection of apps.

Multimodality is another exciting addition; previously, Gemini could only respond to voice or text prompts. Now, you can include a screenshot or photo in your requests. For instance, if you send Gemini a screenshot of your grocery list from your notes app, it can add those items to your cart—assuming you have an Android device that supports Gemini Intelligence.

Another fresh feature under the Gemini Intelligence banner is Create My Widget. Google describes it as a first step toward “generative UI,” allowing you to articulate the functionality you want in natural language, and AI will generate a custom widget for you. Examples include a personalized weather widget for cyclists wanting quick access to wind speed and precipitation, or a dashboard that suggests specific recipes, like “three high-protein meal prep recipes every week.” These widgets will also be compatible with Wear OS, making them accessible on smartwatches as well.

At first glance, it seems straightforward, but when you think of widgets as mini-apps that you can easily customize for your home screen, it becomes more intriguing. This could be a small leap toward an interface that adapts itself dynamically. It’ll be interesting to see if more details about “generative UI” emerge during the I/O keynote.

Google is also bringing features from the desktop version of Chrome to its Android app. This means a Gemini button will appear in Chrome, allowing you to share webpage content and ask Gemini questions directly in the browser. If you’re subscribed to Google’s AI Pro or Ultra plans, you’ll also gain access to auto browse, which helps you complete tasks like booking appointments. This feature is set to roll out in late June.

Gemini will also optionally enhance autofill on Android. You can choose to connect Gemini to assist with filling out forms, leveraging its Personal Intelligence to access information from your Google Photos and Gmail. This could mean pulling details like your license plate number from Photos. Is that helpful? Creepy? A bit of both? That’s the essence of Gemini season! According to Greenwood, Gemini Intelligence features will be released in waves throughout the year, with Galaxy and Pixel phones getting the first updates this summer.