Gemini: The Evolution of Multitasking AI Assistants
Pulling up AI assistants on your Apple and Android device entails using them primarily within their app homebases and not being able to do anything else while it’s working. In one case, you can continue your ChatGPT conversations through the “Voice” feature while you switch between your apps and even lock your phone. From a multitasking standpoint, that feature works like a charm. Android users are now getting something similar with Google Gemini, but with a feature that lets you complete more complex tasks through your text prompts. [link] and this other [link]. Now the Gemini app is being set up as a multitasking AI assistant that has evolved from a stationary pop-up tool to something more of a dynamic background module. This feature began rolling out on September 4.
Before this feature began rolling out, the Gemini mobile app on Android handled multi-step tasks for its users in specific apps through a beta feature called “screen automation.” As explained by the official Pixel Phone Help guide, this previously released Gemini multitasking shortcut has become available for the following Android devices: Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, Samsung Galaxy S26 Series, Z Flip 8, and Z Fold 8.
Final thoughts
Gemini’s minimized overlay that turns it into a bubble that multitasks while you work in other apps sounds like a lifesaver. I’d love to see this sort of feature become widely available for other AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity across Apple and Android devices. I’ll have to revert to my Android mobile device-using friends to see this feature in action (I’m a loyal Apple iPhone user, after all) and use it to summarize long articles or conduct other experiments.
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