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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Josh Render

Google Gemini is about to become a lot more powerful — here’s why

Google Gemini logo .

Google Gemini could soon receive several new extensions according to a recent APK teardown from the team over at Android Authority.

The APK, focused on the code hidden in the latest Google app beta (v15.29.34.29.), found evidence of six new extensions coming to Google Gemini in due course. Three of which we've already heard about, but the other three haven't been officially announced yet. 

Suffice to say, these extensions will allow Gemini access to even more data, which can then in turn be used to help users. For instance, the Google Flights extension allows the AI to pull up real-time flight information without needing to swap apps. 

The first, and most exciting unannounced extension appears to be targeting Google Home. This extension will allow Gemini to “control your smart home appliances such as lights and switches.” This will be a major improvement over the current system which has to make requests through Google Assistant first. This makes any command much slower than it could (and should) be. However, there is no indication if the Home extension will allow Gemini to control Home automation.

(Image credit: Android Authority)

Another extension features the Phone app which, similarly to Home, currently passes phone call commands through Google Assistant. This new extinction will instead pass the command through Gemini, although it isn’t clear precisely what else the extension will do. The provided screenshot also reveals another unannounced extension: Utilities. This could allow Gemini to directly interact with your phone’s settings and apps. The image shows three examples, one for taking photos, opening apps and adjusting the volume without needing to press anything. 

Finally, there are three more extensions referenced in the latest Google app beta, but each of them we have heard about before. All three were announced during Google’s I/O keynote where the company revealed extensions for Google Calendar, Keep and Google Tasks were on the way, as well as several other AI advancements. However, it is unclear if these will be standalone extensions or will incorporated into the already existing Workspace extension

Google Gemini might yet not be as powerful as other AI models on the market, but the company's push for more integration will certainly help bridge the gap. However, due to the nature of APK teardowns, we have no idea if or when these features will be released, so all we can do is wait for an official announcement. 

In the meantime, there is still plenty to experience with Google Gemini, and we have a list of 7 great prompts to try out over the weekend to see what the AI is capable of. 

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