Summary
- The Google app settings page will pick up a new Gemini option in a future update.
- Users who have opted into Gemini will be redirected to the chatbot’s window, while others will be able to switch to the AI chatbot with this new option.
- Gemini is still evolving and lacks some key Assistant features like routines and third-party media playback, but is adding support for services like YouTube Music.
The Google Gemini app has been around for a while now. Although this AI-powered chatbot is far from perfect at the moment, Google is slowly but surely ensuring that it becomes a more integral part of the Android experience. With this in mind, a new update to the Google app is in development, aimed at giving users another entry point to try out Gemini on their Android smartphones.
I used Gemini in Google Messages, and it’s basically useless without chat integration
It’s just another place Google wants to serve up the Gemini chatbot, and nothing more
As reported by code sleuth AssembleDebug on X/Twitter, the Google app for Android will soon offer a dedicated Gemini tab within the Settings page. While the source didn’t specify the version of the Google app that enables this option, we don’t think it will be too long before it appears widely to all users.
AssembleDebug says that users who have already opted in to use Gemini will be redirected to the app’s chat window while accessing this new menu page. On the other hand, people who haven’t switched to Gemini yet will be able to enable the AI chatbot on their devices for the first time. As you can see above, the Gemini option will appear between the Assistant and Voice options in the Google app’s settings page.
Google Gemini is still some distance away from replacing Assistant
Although Google has evidently made big strides in improving the Gemini experience, some key Assistant features are still not available on the chatbot. We’ve learned that Google is already trying to bridge the feature gap between Gemini and Assistant — particularly in terms of routines — but it’s far from perfect right now.
Google Gemini doesn’t have these Assistant features yet
Google isn’t kidding when it calls Gemini an ‘experimental AI assistant’
A quick look at the Gemini support page reveals some of the Assistant features that are still absent from Gemini, including interpreter mode, and the aforementioned routines. Similarly, you cannot ask Gemini to open a playlist from a third-party streaming service provider like Spotify or Apple Music. However, the chatbot is well on its way to enabling support for YouTube Music via extensions.
