As the calendar flips to Gemini season, Google is ready to unveil a slew of fresh features under its Gemini banner during the pre-I/O Android showcase. These updates aim to enhance the functionality of your phone, almost like it’s working for you. Gemini is set to integrate more deeply into your digital experience, being accessible through Chrome on Android, your autofill suggestions, and various apps—if you choose to embrace it.
Introducing a new term into the tech lexicon, Google has coined “Gemini Intelligence,” which encapsulates the most advanced Gemini features tailored for top-tier Android devices. Ben Greenwood, Google’s director of Android experiences, describes this initiative as delivering the finest of Gemini to flagship phones, such as the Galaxy S26 series. This latest development is sure to be a talking point at the upcoming I/O event.
One of the standout features in this Gemini Intelligence suite is task automation. Already implemented in recent models like the Pixel and Samsung Galaxy, this tool allows Gemini to execute tasks using certain apps on your behalf. Previously limited to a select few rideshare and food delivery apps, Google plans to expand its reach to encompass a broader array of applications “soon.”
In a significant upgrade, Gemini will now support multimodality, allowing users to employ more than just voice or text prompts. This means you can now input a screenshot or photo to guide its actions—a capability that feels like it should have been there all along. For instance, you could snap a picture of a grocery list in your notes app, and Gemini would seamlessly add those items to your cart, provided your Android device supports Gemini Intelligence.
Among the new features is “Create My Widget,” marking Google’s initial foray into “generative UI.” This tool empowers users to describe desired functionalities in plain language, enabling AI to craft a custom widget. Examples include a personalized weather widget for cyclists showing wind speed and precipitation or a culinary dashboard suggesting “three high-protein meal prep recipes weekly.” These widgets will also be available on Wear OS, extending their utility to smartwatches.
On the surface, this concept seems straightforward. However, envisioning widgets as mini-apps you can custom-code onto your phone’s homescreen adds an intriguing layer of complexity. This could be a step towards a dynamic interface that evolves spontaneously, or perhaps it’s an ambitious expectation for a widget feature. Regardless, it will be fascinating to see if “generative UI” gets more attention during the I/O keynote.
Google is also bringing Gemini features that exist on the desktop version of Chrome to its Android app. That means you’ll be seeing a Gemini button in Chrome where you can share the contents of a webpage and ask Gemini questions directly inside the browser. If you’re a subscriber to Google’s AI Pro or Ultra plans, you’ll also get auto browse to help complete tasks for you, like booking appointments. That will start rolling out in late June.
Gemini will also show up — optionally — in autofill on Android. You’ll be able to choose to connect Gemini to help fill out forms. This means Gemini can use its Personal Intelligence connection to things like your Google Photos and Gmail to look for the right information. In theory, that could mean things like pulling in your license plate number from Photos. Helpful? Creepy? Some mix of both? That’s Gemini season, baby. Gemini Intelligence features will “roll out in waves as they become ready throughout this year,” says Greenwood, with Galaxy and Pixel phones first in line to start getting updates this summer.
