Google Gemini has finally allowed users to activate Google Assistant routines through the app. However, there are still some restrictions.
When the Gemini Android app was launched in February, many users were upset that their Google Assistant routines didn't work with it. However, the feature has at last made a return in a new update, and Google Gemini can now set routines through the app.
Routines allow users to execute multiple tasks with a single command. For instance, saying 'Good morning' to Google Assistant could show you the time, the weather for the day and any events placed into the calendar for that morning.
Accessing the feature is pretty easy. Head to "Gemini Settings", then navigate to the "Google Assistant features in Gemini" menu and then finally the "Routines" tab. On my Galaxy Z Fold 5, I could construct routines through the menu and then use them, although the app was quite slow to show the routine responses I had set.
While it is great to see this feature finally come to Google Gemini, there are some caveats that users need to be aware of. Firstly, not all routine starters and actions are supported in the Gemini app. Secondly, users can't trigger routines with typed commands, scheduled times, location-based activation, or home screen shortcuts. Finally, actions like playing music, sharing fitness data or reciting poems are not currently supported.
Google Gemini has never been the best AI option, with it being outclassed by OpenAI's ChatGPT. However, the newly-announced Google Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold all heavily feature Gemini Nano to power its wealth of new AI features, with the Pro models all getting access to the more powerful Gemini Advanced and the new Gemini Live feature. Combined with the routines improvement to the current Gemini app, a new era for Google's AI could be dawning.
The introduction of routine support will be great news for many Android users, and another hit for Apple, which has been struggling to introduce the base model of Apple Intelligence to its devices. It'll also help Google to fight off Samsung and its Galaxy AI features, the other big player in smartphone AI right now.
