Android users will soon be able to let Gemini control device features and apps with less privacy concerns. In an email seen by Android Police, Google recently notified Gemini users that it will begin rolling out an update on July 7 that will allow the artificial intelligence to “use the phone, messages, WhatsApp, and utilities on your phone whether Gemini Apps Activity is turned on or off.”
Turning off Gemini Apps Activity prevents chatbot conversations from being used to “provide, improve, develop, and personalize” Google’s AI products and models. For now, it also prevents users from asking Gemini to perform tasks in connected apps, such as setting alarms, calling contacts, sending WhatsApp messages, and managing media playback settings.
The unclear wording of Google’s announcement initially caused some confusion as to whether Gemini would provide unlimited access to private data or system functions. Google later clarified that the connection to the Gemini app can still be disabled at any time, and that the update is “beneficial for users.”
“They can now use Gemini to perform daily tasks on their mobile devices, such as sending messages, initiating phone calls, and setting timers, when Gemini Apps Activity is turned off,” Google said in a statement published on the Android Authority website. “When Gemini Apps Activity is turned off, their Gemini chats are not viewed or used to improve our artificial intelligence models.”
These changes mean that people will be able to use Gemini as a personal assistant for their devices without contributing to Google’s AI training datasets, just in time for Gemini to effectively replace Google Assistant on Android devices later this year. Turning off In-App Activity will also result in interactions with Gemini not showing up in the activity log, although Google notes that it will still store conversations for 72 hours for security purposes, whether the feature is turned off or not.
