Google unveils Android 17 with Gemini Intelligence one month before iOS 27
Google today unveiled Gemini Intelligence as part of Android 17, similar to Apple Intelligence. It’s a set of features that will be available this summer for the Galaxy S26 series and the Pixel 10 family. These features will be available across all your Android devices, including your smartwatch, car, glasses, and laptop, throughout this year, the company said.
Android 17 includes numerous new AI features and is released about a month before Apple’s planned release of iOS 27, which also features new AI capabilities. Google stated that it is evolving Android from an operating system into an intelligent system with proactive, built-in AI.
Gemini Intelligence
Gemini Intelligence automates multi-step tasks and guides you through these processes. Thanks to visual context, Gemini reacts instantly. For example, your shopping list can easily be converted into a shopping cart on the screen, containing all the items ready for delivery. Or, if you see a travel brochure, you can ask Gemini to find a suitable tour for six people on Expedia.
While Gemini performs these tasks in the background, you can track the progress live via notifications. Once the task is complete, only a final confirmation is required.
- Enhanced Gemini Integration – Gemini Intelligence will be able to autonomously perform more tasks, from booking courses to making purchases.
- Visual context – Gemini can extract contextual information from the screen content, a feature Apple will soon introduce for iPhones as well. According to Google, Android users can, for example, open a long shopping list in the Notes app, press and hold the power button over the list, and Gemini will then automatically create a shopping cart with all the items for delivery.
- Smarter browsing – Gemini Intelligence in Chrome allows users to research, summarize, and compare content on the web. Chrome’s automatic browsing function can also handle other tasks, such as reserving a parking space or booking an appointment.
- Autofill – Android can fill in more text fields in apps with Gemini Intelligence, which draws information from apps like Gmail and Google Photos.
- Rambler – Rambler is an AI speech recognition feature that removes filler words like “um,” “uh,” and “sort of.” Rambler extracts the most important information from the voice input and creates a concise message. The feature supports multiple languages simultaneously.
- With “Create My Widget,” Android users can create their own widgets by describing their requirements in natural language. Widgets can, for example, display the weather, offer recipes, show a countdown to events, display the time, show stock market information, and much more.
Other changes in Android 17:
- 3D emojis – Google introduces Noto 3D, a new collection of 3D emojis.
- Android Auto receives enhanced Gemini integration and a redesigned interface with support for Material 3 Expressive Design. Google adds customizable widgets, edge-to-edge Google Maps, and Immersive Navigation, which includes 3D views highlighting key navigation details. YouTube playback is supported when the vehicle is parked. Gemini Intelligence will be available in Android Auto vehicles, enabling features such as automatically replying to text messages and ordering food for pickup.
- Google integration – Vehicles with integrated Google integration receive the same features as well as access to meeting apps like Zoom. Gemini will also be rolled out for vehicles with integrated Google integration and can answer vehicle-specific questions.
- Screen Reactions – Screen Reactions allows users to film simultaneously with the front and rear cameras to create reaction videos for social media.
- Instagram integration – Google, in collaboration with Meta, has improved the video and photo quality of content captured with Android devices and uploaded to Instagram. Google is also adding new tools to the Edits app and optimizing Instagram for Android tablets.
- Pause Point – Users can mark an app as distracting. Pause Point then grants a 10-second pause before the app is opened. Users can do a short breathing exercise or set a timer to limit app usage. There are also options to view favorite photos or switch to an alternative app, such as an audiobook app. To deactivate Pause Point, the smartphone must be restarted, making it harder to ignore the feature.
Google announces that Gemini Intelligence features will be rolled out gradually, starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel smartphones this summer and later in the year with Android smartwatches, cars, glasses and laptops.
The Gemini features in Chrome are expected to be available by the end of June, with further Android 17 features expected to be released in a stable version in June.
