One of Samsung’s key AI features will come to more than just Samsung phones, as Google’s Gemini AI talks up a conversational feature on lots of Androids.
You may not need to upgrade to the latest and greatest Android to get a taste of AI on your phone, even if that’s one of this year’s big features.
While last week saw some crazy announcements in the mobile world, including Samsung’s upcoming smart ring and a see-through laptop, Google had something more practical to offer, as AI looks set to come to more devices.
Specifically, the feature is a beta feature coming to phones using Android’s regular SMS app, which means the one Google provides, not the extra one a phone manufacturer might add on top. The addition will link Messages to Google’s AI system Gemini, which will allow you to chat to Gemini to draft messages, make your messages better, or even just talk to Google’s AI should you want to.
Google Gemini is available in Australia and New Zealand, as well as other countries, but this feature is being tested in English only, so if your phone isn’t running in English, you mightn’t get this beta feature. You also might want to check for the latest update for your phone, as this will likely be needed, too.
It’s a similar feature to one Samsung rolled out in its Galaxy S24 range, whereby messages could be improved using AI on the phone. This one will require the internet, so it’s not handled entirely on the phone, but you won’t necessarily need a new phone to use it, either, which is positive for folks keen to see what the whole AI fuss is all about.
The addition comes as Google delivers more AI to its Android devices, with Android Auto also getting auto summaries for texts or group chats while driving, as well as AI captions coming for images for people with low vision.
