Gemini app brings access to ‘key actions’ on your Android and iOS home screen

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz)
2025-05-01 14:19:00
www.androidcentral.com

What you need to know

Google announced the rollout of an update for Android and iOS that brings access to “key actions” in Gemini on your home screen.
Users will find widgets for their camera, file/image sharing, and the ability to initiate a chat with Gemini.
Android and iOS have received lock screen widgets updates over the past few months, bringing quicker access to utilities, calls, and texts.
Google recently teased I/O 2025 will expand on the “new possibilities” Gemini will bring.

Google is in the process of rolling out a few tools that gives Gemini users quicker access to their favorite features.

In a press release, Google states the Gemini app on Android and iOS is beginning to receive an update that brings home screen widgets. The company states these widgets enable users to invoke “key actions” without needing to dive into the full app. On Android, the post states users can soon tap and hold their home screen and tap “Widgets” to find the Gemini app’s new selection.

Google says Android users will find widgets that’ll help them easily access their camera, file/image sharing, and more. Moreover, the post adds that a standout aspect of these new widgets is the ability for users to initiate “new chats with Gemini directly from the home screen widget.”

After choosing, users can customize/resize these new widgets on their phones or remove them by tossing them into the “Remove” option at the top.

These widgets started rolling out on April 30 for devices with Android 10 and higher.

Gemini app Development Continues

Google Gemini on Android at MWC 2024

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Users on iOS can tap and hold their home screen and tap “Edit” to find their widgets. Additionally, Google says iPhone users can “customize the actions on widgets” by “long pressing on widgets and select actions in the menu.” The update has also started rolling out on iPhones with iOS 17 and up. Google states smartphones will see a gradual rollout; however, it should be mostly complete by “early next week.”

You may remember an update for iOS devices in March that brought Gemini’s widgets to its lock screen. The tools provided include Type Prompt, Talk Live, Open Mic, Use Camera, Share Image, and Share File. Accessing these enables iOS users to hop right into Gemini without having to open the app, similar to what’s happening with the home screen update.

Also, it’s not like Android users were left out of the loop as a key lock screen update arrived in December. That patch let users utilize Gemini’s smarts right from their lock screen, without unlocking their phones, to place calls and send messages.

There is more on the horizon for Gemini, according to a recent teaser in Google’s newsletter. The company states users can expect more from Gemini during its I/O 2025 event (starting May 20 at 10 am PT), involving updates to “productivity” and “interaction.”

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