android

Google is rolling out a new glow effect to the Gemini overlay on Android, with the animated multicolor border now appearing around the entire screen perimeter instead of just the prompt box. The company has also repositioned Temporary chat to the top-right corner on web, making it more prominent while reducing side panel clutter.

Google's task automation feature for Gemini is now live in beta on Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, enabling the AI assistant to autonomously complete actions in food delivery and rideshare apps. The system can order rides, food items, and make decisions like warming pastries—stopping before final confirmation for user review.

Google has completed benchmarking tests to evaluate which AI models perform best for Android app development. The company released results identifying top-performing models across coding tasks specific to the Android platform.

Google is deploying a floating pill redesign for Gemini Live on Android devices. The update moves the conversational AI interface away from its previous fullscreen experience to a more compact, always-accessible floating format.

Google has detailed AppFunctions, a system that allows Gemini to directly control and interact with Android applications, functioning similarly to Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP). The capability enables AI agents to automate tasks across the Android ecosystem by providing structured access to app functionality.