Latest Version of Android Has Gemini AI at Its Core

Google today announced several new AI features that it is building into the Android 15 operating system, giving us some insight into what Apple's iPhone operating system will be competing with later this year.

android ai
According to Google, Android has been designed with AI at its core, and Gemini is a foundational part of the Android experience that works at the system level. There is an AI powered search bar that can be used for answering queries and looking up information, and the Circle to Search feature can be used for solving math and physics problems or getting homework help as of today.

Gemini serves as the AI assistant on Android instead of Google Assistant, and the Gemini AI will be able to be brought up as an overlay on any app that's in use. Gemini is context aware and can anticipate what the smartphone user is doing and provide context in the moment. It can create images for texts and social media, or answer questions about a video that's being watched. It can parse PDFs, websites, and other content, providing summaries and translating.

Google is using on-device AI for some features in order to keep sensitive data private, and this is also Apple's plan. Multiple rumors have suggested that many of Apple's first AI features will run on-device rather than through a cloud server.

Gemini Nano, Google's on-device AI, currently does things like generate smart replies in messaging apps and summarize voice memos. Gemini Nano with Multimodality is coming to Pixel phones later this year, enabling new on-device AI features like TalkBack, which can help blind and low-vision users better interpret the world around them. Google is also developing a call screening feature that actively listens to calls and lets users know if it sounds like a scam.

Google today also announced Gemini 1.5 Flash, a lightweight version of its Gemini Pro AI model. Gemini Flash is more efficient, less expensive, and has lower latency, which makes it ideal for large scale rollouts. Google says that Gemini 1.5 Flash is able to deliver "impressive quality" for its size, excelling at summarization, chat applications, image and video captioning, and data extraction from long documents.

Gemini 1.5 Pro has also been improved and it is able to follow increasingly complex and nuanced instructions, including parsing documents up to 1,500 pages long or an hour of video content. Gemini can be interacted with in Google Messages, and Gemini Advanced subscribers will be able to experience a new mobile conversational experience that makes speaking with Gemini more intuitive. Customized versions of Gemini called Gems are also available to subscribers, for personalized assistants that can help with workouts, provide recipes, and more, with specific personalities.

Project Astra, another Google effort, focuses on AI agents that can be helpful in everyday life. Google demoed prototype agents able to identify objects, provide context on information from the camera, and recall a timeline of events for finding a lost item.


Google plans to provide more information on new features coming to Android 15 later this week.

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...

Top Rated Comments

Klae17 Avatar
12 months ago
Google's approach to AI: Roll out to as many users as possible.

Apple's probable approach to AI: New Apple Pencil only works on new iPads, Old pencils will not work on new iPads for no reason effing other than greed.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SmugMaverick Avatar
12 months ago
It’s funny because Apple is so far behind these features it’s hilarious.

iOS is literally fisher price OS compared to Android with AI.

Photos search, circle to search, Gemini assistant etc are utterly amazing and nothing iOS has right now compares.

But hey, we’re getting another button!
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
corrado7 Avatar
12 months ago
I hope Apple doesnt spend all their time talking about AI at WWDC
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
12 months ago

Photos search
Photos Search in iOS has had AI for actually a very long time already.
You can search for objects if you want, it works rather well.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JacquesleMac Avatar
12 months ago

It’s funny because Apple is so far behind these features it’s hilarious.
How about the knowledge that your OS isn't parsing every piece of info you give it to search for monetisable data?

Isn't that worth anything to you?
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Premium1 Avatar
12 months ago

It’s funny because Apple is so far behind these features it’s hilarious.

iOS is literally fisher price OS compared to Android with AI.

Photos search, circle to search, Gemini assistant etc are utterly amazing and nothing iOS has right now compares.

But hey, we’re getting another button!
Apple will push out some new stickers and emojis and call it a day. They are getting left in the dust in so many regards anymore.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)