- You can now perform local actions on Android through Gemini, thanks to the Utilities extension.
- It also lets you perform multiple actions at once. You can say, "Turn off Bluetooth and change the media volume to 50%".
- Gemini on Android understands descriptive inputs and performs actions at the granular level.
Google has finally brought a much-needed Utilities extension to Gemini that enables local actions on Android. After replacing Google Assistant with Gemini, users complained that Gemini is not designed for performing on-device local actions. But that’s changing with the Utilities extension. Not only that, you can now perform multiple actions at once with this Gemini extension on Android.
I asked Gemini to turn on Bluetooth on my Android phone and set a timer for 30 seconds, and it completed both actions in one go. It was also pretty quick. You can now perform multiple such actions on your Android device with Gemini. The best part is that you can give descriptive input and it follows the instructions pretty well, adjusting things at the granular level.
For example, you can specify and say, “Change the media volume to 70%” or “Take a photo with a 10-second timer” and Gemini will perform accordingly. That’s pretty cool, right? Here are some of the actions you can perform with Gemini in combination with other tasks, thanks to the Utilities extension.
- Adjust volume of media, notification, etc. with percentage
- Turn on battery saver
- Take a photo with an X-second timer
- Set, stop timers/alarms
- Change DND
- Open website, app, specific settings
- Turn on/off flashlight, battery saver
- Change brightness with percentage
- Check battery level
- Power off, restart device
- Take a selfie, take a picture in X seconds
- Take a screenshot
- Pause, stop, resume, replay music/video
- Skip this song/video
- Play the previous song/video
- Give a thumbs up to this song
With all that said, here is how you can enable the Utilities extension in Gemini and use the feature on your Android phone. Keep in mind that you don’t Gemini Advanced subscription to enable the Utilities extension.
How to Enable Utilities Extension on Gemini in Android
- Launch the Gemini app (Free) on your Android phone and open your profile. Tap on ‘Extensions’.
- Next, scroll down and enable the “Utilities” extension.
- You can now perform multiple local actions on your Android phone quickly.
Apart from the Utilities extension, Google is also rolling out the WhatsApp extension that lets you make calls or send WhatsApp messages through Gemini. If you have got the update, enable it. Moreover, Google is slowly rolling out the ability to make calls and send messages through Gemini without unlocking the device. It’s going to make the transition from Google Assistant to Gemini much more seamless and less painful.
Abubakar Mohammed
