At The Android Show held on May 12, Google previewed Gemini Intelligence for Android, which the company positions as part of a broader shift where Android evolves from an operating system into what it calls an “intelligence system.” Instead of limiting Gemini to a chatbot-style experience, Google is now integrating it more deeply across apps, services, and devices to help users complete tasks more proactively.
According to Google, Gemini Intelligence features will first roll out this summer on the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel smartphones, before expanding later this year to watches, cars, glasses, and laptops.
What is Gemini Intelligence
Gemini Intelligence is Google’s system-wide AI layer for Android devices that is designed to make Gemini more proactive, contextual, and deeply integrated across apps and services. It is meant to understand what is happening on-screen, work across multiple apps, and help complete tasks on behalf of users.
According to Google, Gemini Intelligence will support multi-step app automation, contextual browsing in Chrome, AI-assisted Autofill, smarter voice typing, and personalised widgets generated through natural language prompts. The company says the system is also designed to carry context across connected Android devices like phones, watches, cars, glasses, and laptops, while keeping app permissions, user approvals, and privacy controls in place.
An AI system to work across apps
Until now, Gemini has supported workflow-based automated actions through connected apps. For example, if I have to send details of an event to someone, I would have had to tell Gemini to source the particular information from a stored location and then send it to that person on Messages. Now, with Gemini Intelligence, this has improved further. If I am messaging someone about that event, Gemini Intelligence would automatically understand the context and cue the details for the event to be sent easily.
In simpler words, it can now understand what is happening on-screen, work across multiple apps together, and carry out multi-step actions with less manual involvement from the user.
Similarly, for grocery shopping, instead of opening Notes, copying a grocery list, switching to a shopping app, and searching for every item manually, users could simply long-press the power button and ask Gemini to create a shopping cart directly from the list visible on screen. Google also demonstrated examples like booking a spin class, finding information from Gmail, and adding required books to a shopping cart automatically.
Gemini gets deeply integrated and removes the need for installed apps
Google is also pushing Gemini deeper into Chrome and Android services. According to the company, Gemini in Chrome will help users research, compare information across websites, summarise webpages, and automate smaller tasks such as booking appointments or reserving parking spots.
Gemini can now rely on web versions of a service for automation if users do not have that specific app installed. Google gave an example where a user booking movie tickets could ask Gemini to reserve parking for the event as well. In such a case, Gemini may decide on its own which platform or service to use for the parking reservation, and if the required app is not installed on the phone, it can continue the process through the website instead.
Google is also upgrading Autofill on Android using Gemini’s Personal Intelligence. Currently, Autofill mainly stores passwords, payment details, and addresses. With Gemini Intelligence, Google says Autofill will become more context-aware and capable of filling complex forms using information pulled from connected apps and services. For example, if a form requires travel details, addresses, or booking information, Gemini could retrieve and populate that information automatically.
Google has repeatedly stressed that these features will remain opt-in, meaning users will have to manually allow Gemini access before it can interact with personal app data.
The company also introduced a new feature called Rambler, aimed at improving voice typing on Android. Existing speech-to-text systems usually convert spoken words exactly as they are said, including pauses, filler words, or repeated phrases. Rambler instead attempts to clean up speech in real time and convert casual spoken thoughts into more polished written text.
Google says the feature is also designed for multilingual conversations where users frequently switch between languages like English and Hindi while speaking. According to the company, audio processed by Rambler is used only for live transcription and is not stored afterward.
Gemini Intelligence’s continuity across devices
Another major aspect of Gemini Intelligence is cross-device continuity. Since Gemini Intelligence will expand beyond smartphones to laptops, watches, glasses, and cars, Google is positioning it as a connected system rather than a feature limited to one device.
This means Gemini may be able to carry forward context from one device to another. For example, if someone sends an address through a message on your phone, you could later ask Gemini on your laptop to open navigation for that address without manually copying or forwarding it yourself.
The idea is that Gemini understands context across connected devices and continues tasks without requiring users to repeat the same steps again.
Google appears to be moving toward a model where the AI assistant remains aware of ongoing activities, context, and information across apps and devices instead of functioning as a standalone chatbot waiting for prompts.
Customised widgets
Google is building on personalisation with Gemini Intelligence. At the event, it introduced a feature called Create My Widget. Instead of manually configuring widgets, users can simply describe what they want in natural language.
Google demonstrated an example of a cycling-focused weather dashboard showing only wind speed and rain updates, rather than the user having to dig into the weather app to find the required information. In this process, they would otherwise see additional information like AQI or humidity.
To create such a widget, users can simply write a prompt, and Gemini will generate the widget automatically.
While this may sound like a smaller addition compared to app automation, it signals Google’s broader push toward AI-generated interfaces instead of fixed app layouts and menus. Gemini Intelligence will also introduce an updated Android design language based on Material 3 Expressive, which Google says is designed to reduce distractions and improve focus while using the device.
Privacy remains a major part of Gemini Intelligence
Since Gemini Intelligence relies heavily on screen content, app activity, and contextual understanding to function, Google spent a significant portion of the announcement focusing on privacy and user control.
According to the company, users will have granular controls over Gemini integrations and app permissions. Gemini will only work inside apps users explicitly allow access to, while automation settings can also be enabled or disabled individually.
Google also says users will continue seeing notifications and live progress indicators whenever Gemini is actively performing actions in the background. Sensitive actions like purchases will still require confirmation before completion.
The industry’s focus is shifting toward AI automation
The technology industry initially treated AI tools on smartphones and laptops mostly as chatbots. Users typed a question, received a response, and the interaction ended there. However, companies are now increasingly pushing toward AI systems that can independently perform actions on behalf of users.
Google’s Gemini Intelligence is part of that broader shift. Other companies like Samsung and Perplexity have been working on similar concepts focused on AI-driven task execution and automation.
To be specific, Samsung revamped its Bixby with the help of Perplexity. Rather than being a plain chatbot, with Perplexity’s integration, Bixby can now understand more natural-language searches and carry out conversational research.
Apple has also partnered with Google to integrate Gemini AI models into the backend of its upcoming AI-powered Siri version. This version of the digital assistant will be able to take cross-app actions and be more contextually aware.
Additionally, OpenAI has reportedly been working on an AI-first phone. As per reports, it will significantly reduce the need to open apps to carry out tasks.
This becomes increasingly important because the future competition may no longer revolve only around smartphone hardware or standalone AI chatbots. Instead, companies now appear to be competing over who can build the most capable AI assistant that can understand context, work across apps and services, and complete tasks with minimal user effort.
 "Decoding Gemini Intelligence: How automated workflows will change Android")
