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How to operate Google Gemini on your phone

By The AI Sckool
How to operate Google Gemini on your phone

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While Google Assistant will be available for some time, the future of Google-powered digital assistants now appears to be Gemini. If you buy a Google Pixel 9 phone, Gemini comes pre-installed and you can install it Android application on older Pixel phones and other phones. An iPhone app is also available.

Whether you already have it installed or are considering switching from Google Assistant, here’s what you can do with Gemini. (This was tested on Pixel 9 Pro Fold).

You can download the Gemini app for free Android AND iOSSign in to your Google account and switch. As with Gemini on the Internet, the model available will depend on whether you want to pay Google $20 a month for Google One AI Premiumwhich includes Gemini Advanced – in other words, free users get the smaller Gemini 1.5 Flash model, and paying users get Gemini 1.5 Pro.

We’ve written about the differences between models before, but the Pro model generally gives you smarter answers on a wider range of topics. (It is similar to the free and paid model of ChatGPT.)

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Gemini’s interface is basic: enter your question or comment at the bottom of the screen and the answer will appear at the top. There are four ways to interact with Gemini: by entering text in the text box; using the microphone icon to verbalize your request; using the camera icon to query an image (camera icon); or operate the sound wave icon to talk to Gemini Live.

And yes, there If two ways to talk to Gemini: the original voice input type (which works similarly to Google Assistant) and the newer Gemini Live. Gemini Live offers a more natural experience. You can stop and operate follow-up words and the response will be less automatic, more like a normal conversation.

Given that standard voice input and Gemini Live operate the same basic AI model and both are available to free and paid users, it’s unclear why anyone would still want to stick with the elderly option – but it’s there if you need it. (You may find Gemini Live too talkative, as some do.)

By the way, your previous chats are accessible via the speech bubble icon in the upper left corner of the screen, assuming it is turned on. (If this is not the case, the icon will redirect you to the appropriate screen.)

The prompts that Gemini can respond to are similar to those that can be used with other AI bots such as Copilot or ChatGPT. Things like:

  • “Give me some birthday ideas for a 5-year-old.”
  • “Write the text of an email telling your boss that I want a promotion.”
  • “Which science fiction podcasts should I listen to?”
  • “Write a poem about the iPhone 16.”

At the end of each answer there are icons you can operate: thumbs up and thumbs down icons to rate the answer; share icon to send it to a contact; or the copy icon to send it to your phone’s clipboard. The Google icon encourages you to evaluate the results. Click the three dots to send the response to Google Docs or Gmail, or to modify the response (for example, shorten it or make it more casual).

You can also ask Gemini to generate images using the Google Imagen 3 engine, regardless of whether you pay for Gemini Advanced. There’s one caveat, though: you can’t generate images of people if you’re not a subscriber, at least not yet.

Tap the camera icon to take a photo and add it to the prompt. This gives you even more options when it comes to hints:

  • “What kind of flower is this?”
  • “What can I make with these ingredients?”
  • “How can I fix this?”
  • “Where is this place?”
  • “If I like this TV show, what else will I like?”

To upload an image from the gallery instead, tap + (plus) on the left side of the text input field. (If you don’t see the plus icon, tap the camera icon instead.) If you’re a Gemini Advanced subscriber, you can also upload other file types: Gemini can summarize PDF files or transcribe text in a list format, for example.

The usual rules of generative AI apply here: you may encounter inaccuracies, so be sure to double-check everything critical, and don’t rely on Gemini to give you solid medical or legal advice.

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Over time, Gemini is gradually gaining more capabilities in web and mobile applications, and Google is taking the approach of releasing these updates as individual extensions. For example, we got one for Google Home in early November.

Step by step, these extensions give the Gemini mobile app the same functionality as Google Assistant – like the ability to set a timer or control intelligent lights – in addition to all the generative AI skills we talked about above.

Click your Google account icon (top right), then select Extensions to see what’s available (and disable any extensions if, say, you don’t want Gemini spying on your Gmail or Google Docs).

  • “What’s on my schedule this weekend?” (Google Calendar)
  • “Tell me about the emails I received today.” (Gmail)
  • “Play REM music.” (YouTube Music)
  • “How long will it take me to get to Los Angeles?” (Google Maps)
  • “Set your alarm for 7 a.m. tomorrow.” (Tools)

If Gemini doesn’t choose the appropriate extension by default, you can specify how to handle the prompt by using the “@” character followed by the extension name. For example, you can type “@Google Calendar” and then “When is my next meeting?” (This is actually a good alternative method to check which extensions are available, as they will be displayed as you type.)

It is worth remembering that Gemini is still a work in progress. It doesn’t yet support many music streaming services like Google Assistant, and its intelligent home control, timer, and alarm features are currently limited to Android. Additionally, the Gemini can’t yet launch routines (like starting a playlist and turning on the intelligent thermostat) with a single voice command, which Google Assistant can do. And of course, outside of the internet and mobile apps, it’s not connected to that many devices.

If you’ve invested heavily in Google Assistant, especially in terms of third-party integrations and its more advanced functionality, you’ll still be better off sticking with the older AI for now.

  • Obtain Applications > Assistant > Digital assistants from Google.
  • Choose between Twins AND Google Assistant.

That said, Gemini is undoubtedly where Google will be investing its time and effort in the future. Let’s hope it thoroughly ports all of the current Google Assistant functionality to the recent AI assistant of choice.

The AI Sckool
The AI Sckool

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