How to use Google Gemini on your phone

While Google Assistant is going to beryllium astir for a while, the aboriginal of Google-powered integer assistants present 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 present an app for the iPhone. 

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

Pay oregon not?

You tin drawback the Gemini app for escaped for Android and iOS, motion yourself successful with your Google account, and switch. As with Gemini connected the web, the exemplary you tin entree volition beryllium connected whether you’re consenting to wage Google $20 a period for Google One AI Premium, which includes Gemini Advanced — successful different words, escaped users get the smaller Gemini 1.5 Flash model, portion 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 escaped versus paid ChatGPT model.)

Chatting with Gemini

The Gemini interface is simply a elemental one: you input your question oregon remark astatine the bottommost of the screen, and the reply appears astatine the top. There are 4 ways you tin interact with Gemini: by typing into the substance box; utilizing the mic icon to verbalize your request; utilizing the camera icon to query an representation (the camera icon); oregon utilizing the dependable question icon to talk to Gemini Live.

And yes, determination are 2 ways of talking to Gemini: the archetypal benignant of dependable input (which works 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 effect is little robotic, too, much similar a mean conversation.

Given that the modular dependable input and Gemini Live usage the aforesaid underlying AI exemplary and some are disposable to escaped and paying users, it’s not wide wherefore anyone would inactive privation to instrumentality with the aged enactment — but it’s determination 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 code bubble icon successful the top-left country of the screen, assuming it’s enabled. (If it isn’t, the icon volition pb you to the due screen.)

What tin you do?

The prompts Gemini tin respond to are akin to those you tin usage with different AI bots, similar Copilot oregon ChatGPT. Things like:

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

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

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

To upload an representation from your assemblage instead, pat the + (plus) icon to the near of the substance 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, oregon rewrite substance successful a letter.

The accustomed generative AI rules use here: you whitethorn get inaccuracies, truthful beryllium definite to double-check everything important, and don’t trust connected Gemini to springiness you reliable aesculapian oregon 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 idiosyncratic extensions. At the commencement of November, for example, we got 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 acceptable a timer oregon power your astute 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 privation Gemini snooping done your Gmail oregon Google Docs). 

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

It’s worthy bearing successful caput that Gemini is inactive a enactment successful progress. It doesn’t yet enactment aggregate euphony streaming services similar Google Assistant does, and its astute location controls, timer, and alarm functions are presently limited to Android. In addition, Gemini can’t yet footwear disconnected routines (like starting a playlist and turning connected your astute thermostat) from a azygous dependable 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 presumption of third-party integrations and its much precocious functionality, you’re inactive amended disconnected sticking with the older AI for the clip being.

Don’t similar it? Switch back

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

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