Google Gemini preps wider rollout of ‘Ask about this PDF’ overlay button

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz)
2025-01-08 13:18:00
www.androidcentral.com

What you need to know

Google was spotted preparing to rollout Gemini’s “Ask about this PDF” overlay button to more Android users.
Like what was given to Gemini Advanced users, the feature lets users ask a question that pertains to a specific PDF document in the Files by Google app.
The feature is essentially a timesaver as users can let the AI quickly scour lengthy PDFs, as well as the option to ask follow-up questions.

PDFs often contain a wealth of information, but Google is rolling out an AI update that makes them easy to handle.

The folks at 9to5Google spotted the AI model, Gemini, rolling out its “Ask about this PDF” button in beta version 16.0.5 of the Google app. The publication notes that this feature — asking about a PDF — is similar to uploading the document straight to Gemini. To start, users on Android viewing a PDF can surface the Gemini overlay and see a new interactable button to ask about the document.

When tapped, the name of the PDF in question will appear in the chatting area alongside the option to ask a specific question.

Since Google’s Gemini is deeply involved, users can ask specific questions regarding the document, and the AI will discover and display it promptly. After your question is posed, Gemini will take a brief moment to process it. An “analysis complete” tab will appear, followed by the answer, and a citation for where the AI leveraged its answers — which is the PDF you’ve asked about.

The publication notes that this feature with Gemini only pertains to the Files by Google app. Additionally, this beta version should wrap up fairly quickly as it’s no different than what Advanced users received late last year. If anything, as 9to5 notes, this is indicative of a wider rollout for all Android users.

Gemini was spotted rolling out its

(Image credit: 9to5Google)

Before the holidays, a report by Mishaal Rahman detailed the arrival of “Ask about PDF” for Gemini Advanced users running Android 15. The feature is identical to what Google has brought to its test server for the remainder of its Android users. The goal is to reduce the amount of time users spend reading or sifting through lengthy PDFs for information. Moreover, Gemini’s overlay functionality mirrors an extension for the AI involving Drive.

When given permission, the main Gemini app will scour your Drive documents to find the answers to what you’ve requested. Similarly, both the “Ask about PDF” and the upload function let users ask follow-up questions to continue their document analysis. This AI update arrived soon after Google gave its Files app a new PDF viewer, too.

Elsewhere, Google is still working on its “Ask Photos” feature for the Photos app. Unlike the Gemini overlay, this feature will be integrated directly into the Photos app for direct conversations with the AI about your stored memories.

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