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Gemini getting loads of new Google extensions, including Home, Phone, more (APK teardown)
- In an APK Teardown of the latest Google beta app, we see information related to many new Google extensions coming soon.
- These extensions include previously unannounced Home, Phone, and a phone-focused one called Utilities, as well as Keep, Tasks, and Calendar, which Google previously confirmed would be coming soon.
- It’s unclear if these are all dropping at once or if Google will slowly roll them out.
Google’s Gemini is very powerful on its own, but some of its most interesting capabilities require it to connect to other platforms. This is possible through the use of extensions. For example, the current Google Flights extension allows you to pull in real-time flight info for when you need up-to-the-minute information for a travel-related Gemini prompt. Other extensions already exist for Google Hotels, Maps, Workspace, YouTube, and YouTube Music. However, a teardown of the latest Google app beta shows that there are a lot more on the way.
In the new Google app beta (v15.29.34.29 beta), we see lots of information related to no fewer than six new extensions coming to Gemini, half of which are unannounced. We even have screenshots for how some of these activated extensions will look as well as some of the features they will offer.
First, let’s start with one of the most exciting unannounced ones: Google Home. This extension will allow Gemini to “control your smart home appliances such as lights and switches.” Currently, if you set Gemini as your default digital assistant on your phone, any smart home-related commands you issue get passed over to Google Assistant, which slows things down. With this extension, though, Gemini will be able to execute that command itself. Check out some screenshots on this here:
Unfortunately, there’s no confirmation on whether this new Home extension will allow Gemini to control Home automations. That’s a significant limitation of the current version of Gemini that we hope is solved with this extension.
Moving on, another unannounced extension will be for the Phone app. As with Home commands on Gemini today, phone call commands get handed off to Assistant, but this extension will give the power to Gemini instead. So far, it’s unclear what else this extension could do, but the simple “Call [insert name here]” should work:
In the screenshot above, we see our third unannounced extension: Utilities. This one appears to be a way for Gemini to directly interact with your phone’s settings and apps. The three examples given are for taking photos, opening apps, and adjusting the volume, all without needing to swipe or tap anything. Theoretically, this could allow you to do all sorts of things, like lock your phone, swap to dark mode, or even restart. However, those are just theories for now because all we know for certain is the three examples listed in the screenshot.
Finally, there are three more extensions referenced in the latest Google app beta, but they are all for services we already knew were on the way. At Google I/O 2024, the company confirmed extensions for Google Calendar, Keep, and Tasks were on the way, and we spotted references to them in this APK teardown. Unfortunately, we don’t know for certain if these will be standalone extensions or incorporated into the already existing Workspace extension. Time will tell on those. We also don’t know if Google plans to roll these all out at once or slowly release them piecemeal. Stay tuned!