GoKawiilBrady Snyder / Android Authority
TL;DR A recent Google app update has added a new Ask Gemini button within Android’s text selection menu.
While you could already add selected text to Gemini using the Share button, this new Ask Gemini shortcut makes it a one-step process.
It’s unclear when this particular shortcut was rolled out, but we’re seeing it across multiple Google app versions.
You can already access Gemini on most Android phones by long-pressing the power button, and Google has since found new ways to bring its generative AI experiences to its other apps, like with Chrome for Android. Back in March last year, we exclusively reported on an Ask Gemini text selection menu shortcut designed to appear when you select text in other apps. It has taken a while, but it now looks like this particular integration is slowly beginning to roll out.
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Looking at version 17.51.19 of the Google app, we found the Ask Gemini shortcut appearing in the text selection/context menu across multiple apps. Tapping Ask Gemini immediately opens the app, with the selected text automatically pasted there.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
It’s unclear when this feature was rolled out in the Google app, since we’re also seeing it in version 17.51.18. One of the primary benefits of this shortcut is that it lets you directly carry out a Gemini query by tapping Ask Gemini and hitting send in the Gemini app. Previously, you had to manually tap Copy in the text selection menu and then paste it in the app.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
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