How to use Google Gemini on your phone

While Google Assistant is going to beryllium astir for a while, the early of Google-powered integer assistants now seems to beryllium Gemini. Gemini comes preinstalled if you bargain a Google Pixel 9 phone, and you tin instal the Android app connected older Pixels and non-Pixel handsets. There’s besides now an app for the iPhone. 

Whether you’ve already sewage it installed aliases you’re reasoning astir upgrading from Google Assistant, here’s what you tin do pinch Gemini. (This was tested connected a Pixel 9 Pro Fold.)

Pay aliases not?

You tin drawback the Gemini app for free for Android and iOS, motion yourself successful pinch your Google account, and switch. As pinch Gemini connected the web, the exemplary you tin entree will dangle connected whether you’re consenting to salary Google $20 a period for Google One AI Premium, which includes Gemini Advanced — successful different words, free users get the smaller Gemini 1.5 Flash model, while paying users get Gemini 1.5 Pro.

We’ve antecedently written about the differences betwixt the models, but the Pro exemplary fundamentally gives smarter answers crossed a broader scope of topics. (It’s akin to the free versus paid ChatGPT model.)

Chatting pinch Gemini

The Gemini interface is simply a elemental one: you input your mobility aliases remark astatine the bottommost of the screen, and the reply appears astatine the top. There are 4 ways you tin interact pinch Gemini: by typing into the matter box; utilizing the mic icon to verbalize your request; utilizing the camera icon to query an image (the camera icon); aliases utilizing the sound activity icon to talk to Gemini Live.

And yes, location are 2 ways of talking to Gemini: the original type of sound input (which useful likewise to Google Assistant) and the newer Gemini Live. Gemini Live offers a much earthy experience. You tin interrupt it and usage filler words, and the consequence is little robotic, too, much for illustration a normal conversation.

Given that the modular sound input and Gemini Live usage the aforesaid underlying AI exemplary and some are disposable to free and paying users, it’s not clear why anyone would still want to instrumentality pinch the aged action — but it’s location if you request it. (Maybe you’ll find Gemini Live a small excessively chatty, as immoderate do.)

By the way, your erstwhile chats are accessible via a reside bubble icon successful the top-left area of the screen, assuming it’s enabled. (If it isn’t, the icon will lead you to the due screen.)

What tin you do?

The prompts Gemini tin respond to are akin to those you tin usage pinch different AI bots, for illustration Copilot aliases ChatGPT. Things like:

At the extremity of each response, location will beryllium icons you tin use: thumbs-up and thumbs-down icons to complaint the reply; a stock icon to nonstop it to a contact; aliases a transcript icon to nonstop it to your phone’s clipboard. A Google icon prompts an information of the results. Tap the 3 dots, and you tin nonstop the consequence to Google Docs aliases Gmail aliases modify the consequence (make it shorter aliases much casual successful tone, for example).

You tin besides get Gemini to make images via Google’s Imagen 3 engine, sloppy of whether you salary for Gemini Advanced. There is 1 caveat, though: you can’t make images of group unless you’re a subscriber, astatine slightest for now.

Tap the camera icon, and you tin return a photograph to adhd to your prompt. This gives you moreover much scope erstwhile it comes to prompts:

To upload an image from your assemblage instead, pat the + (plus) icon to the near of the matter input box. (If you don’t spot the positive icon, pat the camera icon instead.) If you’re a Gemini Advanced subscriber, you tin upload different types of files arsenic well: Gemini tin summarize PDFs, for example, aliases rewrite matter successful a letter.

The accustomed generative AI rules use here: you whitethorn get inaccuracies, truthful beryllium judge to double-check everything important, and don’t trust connected Gemini to springiness you reliable aesculapian aliases ineligible advice.

Putting Gemini to work

Over time, Gemini is gradually gaining much capabilities crossed the web and mobile apps, and Google is taking the attack of releasing these upgrades arsenic individual extensions. At the commencement of November, for example, we sewage 1 for Google Home.

Step by step, these extensions are giving Gemini’s mobile app the aforesaid functionality arsenic Google Assistant — specified arsenic being capable to group a timer aliases power your smart lights — connected apical of each the generative AI skills we’ve talked astir above.

Tap your Google relationship icon (top right), past take Extensions to spot what’s disposable (and to disable immoderate extensions if, say, you don’t want Gemini snooping done your Gmail aliases Google Docs). 

If Gemini doesn’t prime the correct hold by default, you tin show it really you want a punctual handled by utilizing “@,” followed by the sanction of the extension. So, for example, you tin type “@Google Calendar” followed by “When is my adjacent meeting?” (This is really a bully replacement method to cheque which extensions you’ve sewage available, arsenic they’ll beryllium listed arsenic you type.)

It’s worthy base successful mind that Gemini is still a activity successful progress. It doesn’t yet support aggregate euphony streaming services for illustration Google Assistant does, and its smart location controls, timer, and siren functions are presently limited to Android. In addition, Gemini can’t yet footwear disconnected routines (like starting a playlist and turning connected your smart thermostat) from a azygous sound command, which is thing Google Assistant tin do. And of course, beyond the web and the mobile apps, it’s not connected to arsenic galore devices.

If you’ve heavy invested successful Google Assistant, particularly successful position of third-party integrations and its much precocious functionality, you’re still amended disconnected sticking pinch the older AI for the clip being.

Don’t for illustration it? Switch back

You tin move backmost to Google Assistant connected your telephone if you want. From Settings successful Android:

That said, Gemini is undoubtedly wherever Google will beryllium investing its clip and effort successful the future. Let’s dream it does a thorough occupation of transferring each the existent Google Assistant functionality complete to its caller AI adjunct of choice.