Android characters on display in front of a building at Google’s headquarters campus on July 23, 2025 in Mountain View, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
google Just a few weeks ago, we used the latest Android rollout to make Gemini less of a chatbot and more of an operating layer across phones, browsers, cars, and laptops. apple is expected to show off its own Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence reboot at WWDC.
Ahead of next week’s Google I/O developer conference, the company previewed a number of Android updates, including AI-powered app automation, a smarter version of Chrome on Android, new tools for creators, a redesigned Android Auto experience, and a comprehensive set of new security features.
Alphabet expects Gemini to help Google compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the market for artificial intelligence models and services, and to serve as the AI backbone across its extensive product portfolio, including Android. Meanwhile, Gemini is driving part of Apple’s new AI strategy and has been given a role in the iPhone maker’s reset, even as Google races to prove its own version of personal AI in phones is more advanced.
Sameer Samat, who oversees Google’s Android ecosystem, told CNBC that Google is rebuilding parts of Android around Gemini Intelligence to help users complete everyday tasks more easily.
“We are moving from an operating system to an intelligence system,” he said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement. Google says Gemini Intelligence will be able to move between apps, understand what’s on screen, and complete tasks that would normally require users to move between multiple services. This means Android will behave more like an agent, moving beyond the traditional assistant model where users ask questions and get answers.
For example, Google says Gemini can pull relevant information from Gmail, build shopping carts, and make reservations. Samato gave the example of asking a Gemini to look at the guest list for a barbecue, create a menu, and add ingredients. instacart Create a list and ask for approval before checkout.
Big concerns surrounding agent AI include the software performing actions on behalf of users without their permission. Samat said Gemini gets back to the user before completing the transaction, adding that “the human is always in the loop.”
Four months after announcing its Gemini deal with Google, Apple is under pressure to present a more capable version of Apple Intelligence, which has been a relative laggard in the market. Apple has long positioned privacy, hardware integration, and user experience control as its advantages.
Google’s Android push is designed to show that AI can be built deeper into the device experience while giving users control over what Gemini can see, where it can operate, and when confirmation is required.
The app’s automation features will roll out to the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer, then expand to more Android devices including watches, cars, glasses, and laptops later this year.
The company is also redesigning Android Auto around Gemini, turning the car into another major surface for the assistant. Android Auto is in more than 250 million cars, and Google says the new release includes the biggest map update in a decade and Gemini support for tasks like ordering dinner while driving.
Alphabet’s AI strategy has been embraced by Wall Street, with its stock up more than 140% over the past year, compared to Apple’s roughly 40%. Investors are now focused on how Gemini can become a central part of the products people use every day.
WATCH: Alphabet briefly surpasses Nvidia after news of $200 billion Anthropic cloud deal
