Google Drive's Ask Gemini AI assistant launches on Android and iOS for AI Pro subscribers

Google Drive's Ask Gemini AI assistant launches on Android and iOS for AI Pro subscribers

Google is bringing its Ask Gemini AI assistant and AI Overviews feature to Google Drive mobile apps after launching on web earlier in 2026. The rollout targets Google AI Pro, Ultra, and enterprise-tier subscribers over the next several weeks.

Ask Gemini side panel

Ask Gemini appears as a side panel to the right of the search bar in Google Drive for Android and iOS. According to Google, users can conduct "multi-turn conversations to efficiently explore and understand content across Drive, other Workspace apps, and the web."

The interface includes:

• A prompt box with file attachment capability
• Search scope selection across Drive, Gmail, Chat, Calendar, and web
• Persistent conversation history accessible via hamburger menu
• Dedicated conversations grounded in specific files and folders

Google states the feature is "built directly into the Drive architecture" and claims it "never copies or replicates your files." The company says existing data protection controls apply, including access permissions, DLP policies, and IRM.

AI Overviews in search

Google Drive's search bar now generates AI Overviews that provide instant summaries at the top of search results. The feature synthesizes information from multiple files without requiring users to open each document individually.

Users can ask natural language queries like "What's in our Spring 2026 catalog?" and receive contextual answers. A one-click option transitions from AI Overview summaries to full Ask Gemini conversations. Users can configure which Google Workspace apps Gemini searches through AI Overview settings.

Availability

Both features are rolling out in English and 28 additional languages to:

• Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers
• Business Standard and Plus tiers
• Enterprise Standard and Plus tiers
• Google AI Pro for Education add-on

What this means

Google is expanding Gemini's integration across its productivity suite as it competes with Microsoft's Copilot and other enterprise AI assistants. The mobile rollout removes a significant gap in feature parity between web and mobile Google Workspace apps. By limiting access to paid tiers, Google is positioning AI features as premium differentiators rather than free baseline functionality, following the broader industry trend of AI-gated subscription models.