Android 16 could give Gemini more control over apps – and other AI upgrades are also rumored

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Android 16 could give Gemini more control over apps – and other AI upgrades are also rumored

Gemini could manage app actions in Android 16
A new chat option for YouTube has also been spotted
Interface tweaks may also be coming

The Google Gemini app on Android is gradually gaining more features and functionality from Google Assistant – on top of its generative AI capabilities – and it looks like more upgrades are on the way.

First, as reported by Android Authoritythere are new APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) in the Android 16 developer preview that can give Gemini more control over what happens in other apps on your device.

If app developers take advantage of these APIs, Gemini could, for example, gain the ability to order takeout or call a taxi for you – the kind of AI agent upgrade now being talked about as the next phase for these artificial intelligence bots .

Currently, Gemini uses extensions to communicate with apps such as YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, Spotify and WhatsApp. However, Google can’t build these for every single Android app; with APIs, developers could do the work themselves.

More changes are coming

Google Gemini AI

The Gemini Live interface on mobile (Image credit: Google)

This AI agent upgrade for Android 16 isn’t the only Gemini leak we’ve encountered this weekend. According to even more code digging by the team at Android Authorityyou could soon dive deeper into YouTube videos with the advanced Gemini Live voice mode.

The idea is that Gemini Live will allow you to have a natural conversation about a video you’re watching on your phone, in addition to the ‘Ask about this video’ feature already available if you need explanations or summaries.

Finally, a possible interface change has been noted for Gemini Live, again by Android Authority. Hidden code in the Android app suggests you’ll soon be able to pause and resume chats via a notification in the status bar.

The advantage of using Gemini Live over the other Gemini input modes is that you can talk to it as you would with a real person – with interruptions, pauses, and so on – and these tweaks would make the AI app even more useful.