Google is testing a smaller, more reachable Gemini overlay on tablets

There are a lot of AI chatbots you can talk to these days, but I personally use Google Gemini on all my devices. It’s smart, integrates with my favorite Google services, and is available out of the box on all my Android devices. While the experience has largely been the same across my phones and tablets, Google has recently made a few small tweaks to account for the differences in form factor.

For instance, Google recently rolled out a UI update that brought the Gemini mobile app more in line with the web version. The update added a navigation drawer on the left-hand side that’s expanded by default on tablets but collapsed on phones. Now, the company is rolling out yet another update that shrinks the Gemini overlay on tablets.

As the screenshots below show, the Gemini overlay on my tablet is now significantly narrower. Previously, it spanned nearly two-thirds of the display’s width; now, it only takes up about one-third. The overlay is also anchored to the right side of the screen instead of the center, making the controls easier to reach.

Tapping the text box still moves the overlay to the middle so you can more easily see what you’re typing, though. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a way to move the Gemini overlay to the left, which might inconvenience left-handed folks.

This new UI applies only to the standard Gemini experience, not Gemini Live. However, we’ve already found evidence suggesting that Google is working on a more compact overlay for Gemini Live as well. It’s possible this updated interface will also be shrunk and moved to the side, but we won’t know for sure until it rolls out.

This new Gemini overlay seems to be rolling out slowly. So far, besides myself, we’re only aware of two other people who have the feature: a user named Lord Reset on X and another named gelatinized on Discord. If you see this new Gemini overlay UI on your Android tablet or book-style foldable, let us know in the comments below!