Google Working on Bringing Gemini to Google Assistant Headphones: Report

Google's Gemini head Jack Krawczyk confirmed that the app will arrive in Asia, North and South America, and Africa this week.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 13 February 2024 15:11 IST

Google Working on Bringing Gemini to Google Assistant Headphones: Report

Photo Credit: Google

The Gemini app is unable to set alarms, add reminders or launch apps like the Google Assistant app

Highlights

Google's Gemini app can be used as the default assistant on Android
Using it through earbuds currently triggers Google Assistant
Google is also working on a Gemini app for iOS

Google's Gemini app, the company's artificial intelligence (AI)-powered assistant, was launched by the company on February 8, but the rollout was limited to the US, and Android smartphones. The tech giant is now expanding support for its latest AI product on two fronts. The app is already confirmed to arrive in other regions such as Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America, and Africa this week, and a report claims that it might soon be expanded to headphones.

At present, even if a user has set the Gemini app as the default assistant in their phone, activating it via a headset or earphones still triggers the Google Assistant. The issue emerges as devices connected with the smartphone are still not compatible with the AI app. A report by 9to5Google states that the tech giant could soon expand the compatibility with Google Assistant headphones.

The report found a string of code in the latest Google app beta version (15.6) which contains an onboarding error message for the ‘bisto' form factor. Bisto, a term first used by Google in 2017, refers to a class of headphones that run Google Assistant. The message says, “Gemini mobile app is working on expanding availability to make it accessible on your headphones.”

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Once the expansion rolls out, the Gemini app will bring its generative AI capabilities to an audio-only medium. It is not known whether some new features, such as shorter responses and cadence customisation will be added to help the AI adapt to this medium. Google is reportedly also working on the iOS version of the app, but no release date has been mentioned.

Meanwhile, the app is also set to expand to more regions — it is currently available in the US. Jack Krawczyk, Senior Director of Product at Google, who is also handling Gemini, revealed in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the AI app will be rolled out in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America, North America, and Africa regions this week. Krawczyk also said in a response that the app will be launched in India on Monday (February 12), but it was not available in the Play Store at the time of publishing this story.

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Further reading: Google Gemini, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Google

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More