In its current state, there are a lot of things that I like about Google Gemini. However, at the exact same time, there are a lot of things that make me prefer Google Assistant. Gemini answers questions better, but Google Assistant integrates with apps, settings, and features on your smartphone a lot better.
Gemini is about to close that gap, potentially to the largest extent since its inception, with the introduction of the Utilities extension. This is going to supercharge Gemini and give it power over several of the features built into Android. Let’s talk about it in detail.
If you want questions answered or you need to have a conversation, Google Gemini is so much more of a better option than Google Assistant is and ever will be. In those aspects, Gemini mirrors all the major AI chatbots that are out there. However, its major downside is that it doesn’t root itself enough into your phone itself, meaning that it is extremely limited in the apps and services that it can mess around with.
As we speak, Google is rolling out an extension that is about to change that significantly. It’s called the Utilities extension, and it basically hooks Gemini up to Android at a level that essentially rivals Google Assistant.
At the moment, I don’t have access to it, but it should head my way soon as the rollout continues.
Utilities Brings Access To A Plethora Of Device Functions, Rivaling Google Assistant
The new Utilities extension is an absolute game changer for Gemini, and once it is rolled out to my device, I might finally change over to it for good.
It’ll end up being an extremely long list if I try to be exhaustive, but here are some of the new things you can get Gemini to do on your behalf:
- Launch websites, apps, and settings menus on your device.
- Toggle settings on your device like the flashlight, Battery Saver, Bluetooth, etc.
- Check and adjust the volume percentage.
- Turn off or restart your smartphone.
- Take photos, even with timers; and take screenshots.
- Control media on your device, including play, pause, stop, next song, previous song, and even restart the song.
- You can even combine prompts, such as telling Gemini to reduce your volume and then play a song.
The New Extension Will Also Let Gemini Do Certain Things From The Lock Screen
Gemini will also get access to perform certain actions on your device from the lock screen. These are features that are typically already available from your lock screen, so there’s not much of a security concern there.
These features include:
- Set and silence alarms
- Set and stop timers
- Toggle your Bluetooth, flashlight, DND mode, or Battery Saver
- Check your volume or battery percentage
- Turn off or restart your smartphone
- Take a photo or screenshot
- Control media playback, including play, pause, stop, and next or previous song.
This one extension is bringing a lot of functionality over to Google Gemini and it’ll certainly make it a lot more compelling to use, especially when placed beside Google Assistant. You can find the full list of functionality with Utilities here.
