What you need to know
- Google is starting to rollout an update for Gmail that delivers better Gemini integration between it and the Calendar app.
- Users should soon find an “add to calendar” button if the AI detects important dates and times within an email.
- Adding it is easy, and users will have the choice to edit the AI’s added event in case more details are required.
- Google recently updated Calendar with its own dedicated Gemini side panel, which helps users see their week’s schedule and add/create events.
Google is starting to roll out a QoL (quality of life) update for Gmail’s Gemini integration that makes important information easier to handle.
The update was announced via a Workspace blog post with Google highlighting Gemini’s presence at the heart of this new feature. The post states that within an email, there will be an “Add to Calendar” button with Gemini’s star beside it. This option will appear as the AI briefly searches a received email for dates before highlighting its availability to mark it, if it’s of importance.
Clicking “add to” will produce Gmail’s AI assistance side panel. This panel simulates a conversation with Gemini as it explains what it’s done. As an example, the AI will state that it’s created an event within your calendar for a “Field Visit” on a specific date and time. Gemini will show a link to your calendar with the event’s title and date/time, as well as a pencil icon (edit icon).
Users should be able to make any changes or toss in any additions through this method.
Google notes a few things of importance: the feature is only available for Gmail on the web (for English users) and using the AI to add an event to Calendar “will not include guests.” Also, Gemini’s automatic add button won’t appear for “already extracted events like flights, restaurants, etc.”
The availability of this feature is restricted to Workspace Business and Enterprise users with the starter, standard, or plus plans. Gemini Education and Education Premium add-on users will see this, too, alongside Google One AI Premium holders. The post says the rollout will be completed by mid-April for users on rapid and scheduled release domains.
This update, incorporating a better relationship between Gmail and Calendar through Gemini arrives shortly after the latter gained a dedicated AI side panel. In a support document, Google highlights Gemini in Calendar can help users in a variety of ways, from checking your schedule to making new notes. After opening the panel, users can “Ask” Gemini to check the current week’s schedule, to which it’ll return its high moments.
Meanwhile, the “Create” command lets users tell Gemini to create or add a weekly run, a lunch date, or commute blocks.
Bringing a side panel with Gemini to the Calendar app on the web is part of Google’s mission as stated during its initial Labs test last year. Leveraging Gemini 1.5 Pro, the AI is tailored to assist users in apps like Gmail, Docs, Calendar, and more with tasks related to those specific destinations.
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