- Google Gemini can more easily access your phone and messages apps
- Previously, you had to allow gemini apps -activity, reducing your privacy
- That’s no longer the case and comes as Gemini RCS also supports leaks
Google seems to give Google Gemini some serious upgrades by giving it greater access to your apps without forcing you to finely cushion your privacy settings and provide the new skills within these apps.
You may have seen an E email that Google sent to Android phone users who said Gemini will be able to interact with the phone, the messages, whatsApp and utilities apps, even if you have the Gemini Apps activity turned off.
The immediate reaction was a concern, but this is actually a huge privacy gain.
With Gemini Apps that is turned on, Google can see an activity log over how to use Gemini – personal data that it can then use to further develop its products. If you want to keep this data more private, you had to lose that Gemini could access extensions that allow them to perform actions using other apps, such as texting someone if you ask it.
This change means you can keep your activity log privately, while still not losing on these basic smart assistant features that Google’s assistant has had for years.
While not saying Google will not store any of your gemini activity even if this setting is off. Google admits it will save some activity data in most 72 hours. It is stored for 24 hours within Gemini so AI can answer your conversations contextually. The longer limit is for security and security reasons, which you can find out more on Google’s support page.
RCS supports incoming?
Maybe in preparation for Gemini has easy access to messages – and probably more people using the app – Gemini also gets an RCS upgrade, apparently.
It’s based on Android Authority’s analysis of the latest Google App files suggesting RCS coming to Gemini because AI can download the device’s RCS capabilities. This would only be necessary if AI was RCS compatible.
This is important because Gemini’s inability to use RCS means it is unable to send or play audio, photos or video through the Google Messages app. With access to this message standard it could very quickly change.
As with similar leaks, there is no guarantee that Gemini will get RCS support soon (or at all), but it certainly makes a lot of meaning as an upgrade, so it’s one we keep an eye on.
