The Samsung Galaxy S26 Has 3 New AI Tricks That Could Make Gemini Useful

Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy S26 series on Wednesday, three new Android flagships that look a lot like their predecessors, but which bring refined AI capabilities. It's not just new Galaxy AI features or the new Perplexity integration that Galaxy S26 buyers are getting. Samsung has partnered with Google to make available a few new Gemini features on its new phones. In turn, Google unveiled (or expanded) three new features that could make Gemini AI an even more useful tool. Gemini can now work on repetitive, tedious tasks in the background, like booking an Uber, while the Galaxy S26 user focuses on a different task at hand. Separately, Circle to Search has been upgraded to see more content on the screen. Finally, Google is expanding its Gemini-powered Scam Detection feature to the Galaxy S26 series.

The new Gemini automation task may be the most exciting of the bunch: An AI app on a phone can make semi-autonomous actions on behalf of the user, while the human is engaged with something else. This isn't a finalized tool, as Google is launching it as a beta feature on the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and the Galaxy S26 phones in the U.S. and Korea. To enable the multi-step automations, users will only have to long-press the power button and ask Gemini to perform an action like booking a ride to a destination or ordering food via a service like DoorDash.

The Galaxy S26 owner will be able to see Gemini's actions and jump in at any time to intervene in the task or stop it. Google explained in a blog post that Gemini will run the app it needs "in a secure, virtual window on your phone," which means the AI doesn't get control over the phone.

Google launched Circle to Search two years ago, when Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S24 series. At the time, the feature was exclusive to the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 phones, but Google kept improving it since then, releasing it on more supported Android phones. Wednesday's update brings a new capability for Circle to Search, one that users may appreciate. The AI features will now be able to see multiple objects in the image to provide more complex answers. Google offers an example that some Circle to Search users may appreciate. You spot an outfit you like on social media, you use Circle to Search to start a Google Search about the clothes a person is wearing, but you want information about everything they're wearing, not just the coat or the shoes. Circle to Search can now do that, answering questions about all the items of interest in a photo.

Google explained in a blog post that the new Circle to Search features run on Gemini 3. The AI model uses a multi-step reasoning plan to identify all the elements in a photo the user may be interested in and runs several searches in parallel about those items to formulate a response.

Circle to Search will also work together with a different AI feature that Google released in the past called Try On. Users will be able to circle clothes they find online, and then try them virtually by having the AI apply the clothes on a photo of the user. The new Circle to Search features will be available on the Galaxy S26 phones and the Pixel 10 handsets, supporting similar gestures as before (circle, tap, and scribble).

Google announced the expansion of some of its AI-powered security features, including Scam Detection in phone calls and Google Messages. The company explained that its Google AI products now protect users from over 10 billion malicious calls and messages every month, but the threats are increasing in complexity. Google detailed the case of an IT professional who received a call that appeared to be from his bank and sounded legitimate. His Pixel displayed the right phone number, and the caller knew his name and address. The person calling warned about a suspicious charge, which convinced the victim to stay on the call. However, his Pixel phone soon displayed a Scam Detection warning. This convinced the victim to hang up and check his bank account, which showed there was no fraudulent charge.

Scam Detection is available on Pixel phones in select markets, including the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, and the U.K. Google's announcement on Wednesday says the on-device AI security feature is coming to more Android phones, starting with the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra in the U.S. Similarly, Google is continuing the expansion of Scam Detection for Google Messages, which will be available in more than 20 countries and several languages.

The new security features use on-device Gemini AI to analyze conversations privately and look for language patterns that may signal a scammer is contacting the victim via a text message. Google says the new protections may be able to detect gradual manipulation practices that some scammers use to gain the trust of the victim before actually trying to extort money. The advanced protections will be available on Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 phones.