Gemini Extensions for WhatsApp, Google Messages, Home, and Phone start gradual roll-out

Google has been prepping its generative AI solution, Gemini, as a replacement for Google Assistant. There are seven Gemini Extensions on Android in the works. Now, Google is in the process of gradually releasing a batch of Gemini features for WhatsApp, Google Home, Phone, and Messages, and those will be replacing Google Assistant for these tasks. WhatsApp’s Gemini Extension will let you make calls and send messages. Generative AI will also help you compose and edit messages to sound natural and conversational. Gemini will respond to normal prompts such as “Call [contact’s name]’s [mobile, home, work] number with WhatsApp”.

You will need to have the WhatsApp Messenger app on an Android phone or tablet. The Extension will not be available on the lock screen for now and will work only with prompts in English at the moment.

Gemini’s Extensions for Messages and Phone work in a similar fashion. Gemini would be able to send text messages and make phone calls for you, respectively. Again, the same English prompt and lock-screen requirements apply. The Messages extension can also help you compose and edit messages.

What’s even fancier is that Gemini would be able to make a call based on your conversation. Like, if you ask it to show you some good restaurants nearby, you can then ask it to summarize reviews for some of them and after that, you can simply tell it to ‘call this restaurant’.  

The Extension for Google Home will let Gemini control smart home devices that your Google Account can access, and for that, you need to be a part of the Google Home Public Preview. It cannot perform some actions on security devices, but it allows for more conversational commands that can include more than one instruction.

With these updates that should be gradually rolling out, we can see how Generative AI may become a bigger part of our lives. I like the fact that with an assistant like Gemini, you can talk more conversationally and get stuff done without even looking at your phone. So, kudos to Google for working on these!