Gemini Wants To Take Over Your Android Phone

The sci-fi trope of advanced AI taking over the world has existed for decades. Now, no AI is (hopefully) anywhere near powerful enough for world domination just yet — even if Meta AI wants to take over your social media identity after you die — but Google's Gemini AI is going to take over your Android phone very soon.

Gemini Intelligence was among the many new features Google revealed in a special episode of "The Android Show" in early May 2026. With Gemini Intelligence implemented directly into the Android operating system — which Google now insists on calling an intelligence system instead — the upgraded Gemini can autonomously use your apps, get contextual data from your pictures and email history, and potentially even make payments on your behalf.

This was all presented as something to be excited about, and some of the features — such as the improved Autofill — do seem incredibly convenient. At the same time, many users have privacy concerns about Gemini having access to more data than it ever had before, including sensitive pieces of information like your ID and banking details. These changes are coming alongside many other new Android 17 features starting with the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Google Pixel 10 phones as soon as summer 2026. Other devices will also be getting Android 17, though it's unclear if they'll get Gemini Intelligence as well.

The main idea behind agentic AI is to have Gemini Intelligence perform tedious multi-step tasks for you autonomously. Examples showcased by Google include asking Gemini to look at textbooks you need and having it automatically put them in a cart for you. Similar applications could involve booking tickets for a concert, finding details for a tour, and ordering and tracking food to be delivered.

With Gemini Intelligence, some features now work across apps. This means Gemini could look at a picture in your gallery, check the Gmail app for emails about your syllabus, and then open eBay or Amazon to add every book you need to your cart. This can also work across different tabs in Google Chrome now, since Gemini is being integrated into the mobile version of Chrome as well.

Some of the more useful features include the new Autofill and Rambler tools. Google claims that Autofill will be able to fill in highly personalized details across all forms now, compared to before, when it could only be used in predefined fields using info you've already filled in the past. Depending on how well this works, many might not mind giving away more of their privacy for the added convenience. Rambler is another great feature — one with fewer user privacy implications. It's an improved AI-powered speech-to-text engine that understands context and removes filler words and other confusing elements from messages.

Gemini Intelligence isn't out yet. Without proper testing, we can't be fully certain to what extent you can opt out of it. Since it's an OS-level implementation, getting rid of it will likely be more difficult than deleting an app or turning off specific permissions from app settings. However, Google has stated that most of these new features will be opt-in. The improved Autofill that takes in data from your gallery and emails, for example, requires explicit permission before it can access those apps.

Additionally, we saw some similar features with Samsung's Galaxy AI in the S26 series — the same features that certain older Samsung phones are getting with One UI 8.5. With the S26 being one of the first phones scheduled to get Gemini Intelligence, there's a chance that these features will work similarly to Galaxy AI functionality like Call Screening and Now Nudge, where you can turn any or all of them off from the settings.