The author recounts their experience with Google’s new AI virtual assistant, Gemini, highlighting its initial limitations and the steps required to unlock its full functionality. While driving and attempting to use voice commands to call their partner, the author discovered that Gemini, unlike its predecessor Google Assistant, couldn’t make calls. This was due to the author not having enabled Gemini Apps Activity, a crucial setting that allows Gemini to access and utilize extensions that expand its capabilities, including making calls and sending texts. This initial encounter reveals a key difference between Gemini and Google Assistant: Gemini requires explicit user permission to log activity data in order to provide a richer and more functional experience.
The author then details the process of enabling Gemini Apps Activity. This involves navigating to the settings either through the mobile app or the web and activating the feature. Upon enabling Apps Activity, the user is presented with a detailed explanation of what data is collected, how long it is stored (with options for 18, 3, or 36 months), and how Google intends to use the information for product improvement and development. This transparency allows users to make an informed decision about sharing their activity data with Google. The author emphasizes the importance of enabling Apps Activity, as it is a prerequisite for accessing Gemini’s extensions and expanding its functionality beyond its basic capabilities.
Once Apps Activity is enabled, Gemini’s functionality expands considerably. The author describes how a subsequent attempt to make a call through Gemini worked seamlessly, automatically accessing the phone app and initiating the call. Exploring further, the author discovered a range of extensions available for Gemini, accessible through the mobile app or the web interface. These extensions integrate Gemini with various Google services like Workspace (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Drive, Keep, Tasks), Messages, Utilities, Flights, Hotels, Maps, YouTube, and YouTube Music, as well as third-party apps like Spotify, WhatsApp, and OpenStax. These extensions significantly enhance Gemini’s capabilities, allowing it to perform a wider array of tasks and access information from various sources.
The author further details the available extensions and their functionalities. The Google Workspace extension allows users to interact with their various Google accounts, summarizing emails, scheduling events, accessing documents, and managing tasks. The Utilities extension provides access to system functionalities like setting alarms and timers. Travel-related extensions for Flights and Hotels enable users to search for travel options. The Maps extension provides location-based information. Entertainment extensions for YouTube and YouTube Music allow users to search for videos and music. The inclusion of third-party apps like Spotify, WhatsApp, and OpenStax further expands Gemini’s ecosystem, indicating its potential to become a central hub for accessing various services.
The author also addresses privacy concerns related to Gemini Apps Activity. While acknowledging that chats are saved for up to 72 hours regardless of Apps Activity status, the author explains that users have control over the long-term storage of their activity data. Within the settings, users can set an auto-delete period for activity data, choosing between 3, 18, or 36 months, or opting to never delete the data. Additionally, users can manually delete their activity logs, selecting specific timeframes ranging from the last hour to all time, or specifying a custom range. This granular control over data retention allows users to balance the benefits of a more functional Gemini with their privacy preferences.
The author concludes by acknowledging the evolving nature of Gemini. While currently lacking some of the functionalities of its predecessor, Google Assistant, Gemini is poised to become a more powerful and versatile AI assistant. The author emphasizes the ongoing development of Gemini’s AI capabilities and underscores the role of user data in training and improving its performance. This continuous improvement cycle, driven by user data and feedback, suggests that Gemini will likely become more sophisticated and integrated into the Google ecosystem over time, potentially surpassing the capabilities of Google Assistant.
