Gemini Overlay on Android Adds Minimize Button for Multitasking Bubble

Google is rolling out a new multitasking feature for the Gemini overlay on Android that lets users minimize conversations into a floating bubble instead of closing them entirely.

The update adds a "Minimize" button that appears above the Gemini overlay container. According to 9to5Google, the button is centered immediately after a user enters a prompt, then shifts to a pill-shaped container on the right side once a response loads. Tapping Minimize collapses the overlay into a bubble displaying Gemini's spark logo.

Google describes the behavior in-app: "Gemini is still available while you multitask. Tap to expand. Drag to move or dismiss." The bubble can be dragged to one of six fixed positions on screen, though it cannot be placed freely anywhere. 9to5Google also reports a bug where the bubble resets to the bottom-right corner after every minimization, rather than staying where a user last placed it.

Users can dismiss the feature multiple ways: tapping outside the response sheet restores the bubble, the system back gesture closes the entire overlay, and dragging the bubble off-screen dismisses it entirely.

The practical use cases are straightforward. The bubble shortcut is faster than fully reopening the Gemini app and navigating to the side panel to resume a conversation. It also lets users fire off a prompt and minimize immediately, switching to another task while Gemini generates a response in the background rather than waiting on-screen.

For users on Android 17, Google notes an alternative: the system-level Bubble feature can be paired with the standalone Gemini app for a more integrated experience than the overlay's built-in minimize option.

The Minimize button and floating bubble are described as "widely rolling out" on Android as of September 4, 2026. This follows a string of recent Gemini app updates, including Gemini Spark integration with Google Photos for automated editing and sharing, the release of Gemini 3.8 Flash just three weeks after its predecessor, and productivity upgrades to Gemini Live incorporating Spark and Gmail integrations.

What this means

This is an interface change to the Gemini overlay, not a new model or capability. The value is purely in reducing friction: Android users no longer need to fully back out of a Gemini conversation to do something else, and can return to it with a single tap rather than re-navigating through the app and side panel.

The rough edges — a bubble that snaps back to one corner instead of remembering its last position, and only six fixed placement slots — suggest this is an early rollout rather than a polished feature. The overlap with Android 17's native Bubble API also raises the question of why Google is maintaining two separate minimization mechanisms rather than consolidating around the system-level option. For now, users get a faster shortcut, but the redundancy points to two teams solving the same problem in parallel rather than a unified design.