Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
Google keeps giving Gemini more tricks on our phones, like a magician stuffing rabbits in a hat. On the Pixel 10 series, Gemini talks to apps, performs unreal voice translations, helps take better photos, and basically shows off its abilities every chance it gets. Visual guidance is also one of Gemini’s newest party tricks to debut alongside Google’s latest flagships. So last week, I grabbed my fresh-out-of-the-box Pixel 10 Pro XL and headed out for some retail therapy to put Gemini’s new feature to the ultimate test: Mall shopping. How did it go? Well, let’s just say it was a strange yet fun day.
To dodge the weekend mall chaos, I showed up at the mall ridiculously early. So early that the shop windows were still locked, and the mannequins in their summer collections looked like they had been left on guard duty. With clothes, makeup, jewelry, and shoes silently calling out to me from behind the glass, and sales reps nowhere in sight, I figured this would be the best time to whip out Gemini Live and put the new visual guidance system to the test.
But before I tell you about my experience with Gemini’s visual overlays, let me tell you how the feature works. When you share your camera feed, Gemini Live can now highlight objects by putting a white dot on them or overlaying a rectangle or square around them while dimming everything else in view. It’s basically Gemini pointing and saying: “This. This is the thing you’re looking for.” You can use visual overlays to spot the right button on a vending machine, identify a bird mid-flight, or figure out which screwdriver you need so you can pretend you know how to use one. For shopping, it means Gemini can highlight the exact pair of sneakers it thinks are “date appropriate” or point to a store you should wander into if you’re looking for cocktail dresses.
Do you use Gemini Live on your Android phone? 6 votes Yes, I use it all the time and think it's very helpful. 0 % No, I never use it and don't care for it. 17 % I use it, but very rarely. 83 %
Now, picture this — I’m standing in what is mostly an empty mall and talking to my phone like it’s my personal shopper. A handful of early morning mall walkers looked at me with the kind of expression normally reserved for people who clap at movies. Security guards eyed me like I was masterminding a shoplifting heist. But ignoring the paranoia and confusion on people’s faces (and the expression of embarrassment on my husband’s face, whom I dragged along for this experiment), I pressed on with my quest.
I asked Gemini which dress would look good for an “evening out.” A neat little pointer floated on a black dress that I would probably never wear, to be honest. But in Gemini’s defense, it suggested a color it thought was more evening-appropriate. When I asked which sneakers looked picnic-date cute, Gemini spotlighted a white pair with roses on them, and honestly, I was impressed. I even tried changing up my question and asking “Which shoes would go with a yellow dress,” and Gemini obligingly changed its answer, framing a brighter option for me from the selection in front of it. It was like having a helpful friend tag along for shopping, minus the side-eye.
The fun didn’t stop there. Gemini let me have actual conversations, like asking if the dress highlighted was available on the brand’s website. I even pointed my camera down a row of storefronts and asked which store might carry evening dresses, and it highlighted one like an AI-assisted digital mall map.
But here’s the thing, Gemini’s visual overlays absolutely crumble when your connection does. One hiccup in Wi-Fi or 5G connectivity, and the overlays vanish faster than a clearance sale at Zara. Also, sometimes, Gemini just didn’t bother highlighting the thing it was recommending until I asked it to do so. At Starbucks, I asked it to help me pick a tumbler to keep my coffee warm. Gemini told me which one to buy and described its color and make, but when I asked it to highlight the exact product it was talking about, I got absolutely nothing, even with multiple tries.
Back home, though, Gemini’s visual guidance redeemed itself. I wanted to move a plant indoors, and Gemini successfully highlighted the ones that would thrive in lower light. I’m very bad with plant names, so having a visual overlay was actually pretty useful in this situation.
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I can imagine using the feature in real life for things like pointing to the exact spice jar when you can’t tell the difference between cumin and coriander, or highlighting the right stores to walk into if the signs are in a different language. In fact, I think Gemini Live’s visual guidance system could be a pretty useful travel companion if only it could tolerate unstable connectivity.
So in conclusion, yes, I think Gemini’s newest digs are clever and sometimes genuinely handy. Are they a must-have on your phone? Not really. Visual guidance is more of a fun extra. You’ll enjoy it, but you won’t miss it if it’s gone, like Circle to Search, an AI feature I genuinely miss on devices that don’t support it. Still, I’m glad Gemini came shopping with me. Even if that means mall security has probably put up my picture in the backroom as the crazy lady who cases closed stores at the mall while suspiciously talking to her phone.
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