After the success of Openai’s video editing app Sora, currently at the top of the US app store, Google may be trying to offer visually focused improvements to the Gemini AI app. The company appears to be experimenting with a new user interface that shifts apps from chatbot-style look and feel to those that provide scrollable feeds with recommended prompts with eye-catching photos attached.
This change was discovered in a recent version of the Gemini Android app by the news site Android Authority, but has not yet been published. Instead, the reverse engineer enabled the app’s new home screen by examining the app’s code. Here, shortcut buttons such as “Create Image” and “Deep Search” were moved onto the screen, followed by a scrollable feed.
A Google spokesperson said it will not be released “yet” or “yet” for comment.
In the example shown, the prompt suggested fun things with your photos, such as “Teleport and teleport to deep space”, “Give it a vintage or grunge look”, and “Turn the picture into a picture book”. Other prompts featuring colorful backgrounds provided various ideas for asking Gemini or asking for suggested use cases. For example, one quick idea said, “Brainstorming out live and loudly,” while another quick idea said, “Send me a daily news roundup.”
The idea is to inspire users with more specific suggestions on how to use Gemini’s AI. Instead of understanding the capabilities of AI chatbots yourself, it’s up to you to leave it to the user. However, this improvement makes Gemini’s app visually appealing and engaging.
If it’s live, Google launches to most blank screens, which could help Google challenge its rival Openai. Additionally, it can take advantage of consumer demand for Google’s new AI imaging model, Nano Banana. This helped the Gemini app climb to the App Store top charts in September. It became the No. 1 app as of September 12th, and it retained its rankings until it was launched by Sora.
TechCrunch Events
San Francisco
|
October 27th-29th, 2025
