Google Gemini has just gained the ability to start carrying out tasks on your behalf, making rivals like Siri look dumb, though not everyone will be able to make use of it.
As predicted, owners of the Google Pixel 10 (not including the new Pixel 10a, unsurprisingly) and Samsung Galaxy S26 series will soon be able to hand off select tasks to Google’s Gemini AI.
Starting out in beta form on these flagship phones, across a limited number of apps and in the US and Korea only, users will soon be able to ask Gemini to order them a taxi through Uber or reorder the last meal they had on DoorDash.
Gemini will then work in the background to go through the steps to interact with the necessary third-party services and input the appropriate requests.
You’ll be able to monitor Gemini’s progress at all times through live notifications, and will also be able to jump in at any time to take control or stop the process.
As for security, Gemini will only have limited access to the relevant third-party app, running it in a virtual window that’s isolated from other apps and services.
It’s one of the coolest practical uses of AI that we’ve seen for some time. For quite some time now, we’ve used the term ‘digital assistants’ to refer to the voice prompt-recognising tools that operate on our phones, but they’ve never truly been worthy of such a description.
Google’s new implementation – albeit in its strictly limited form – offers the first glimpse at a truly worthy assistant capable of carrying out nuanced but monotonous tasks on our behalf. You know, just like a real assistant.
Scam detection comes to Galaxy S26
In separate but kind-of-related news, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has added the Scam Detection feature that was previously exclusive to Pixel phones.
Scam Detection uses Gemini to scan calls and messages from unknown numbers for any signs of dodgy activity. It’ll flag any suspicious elements in real time, while you’re taking the call or dealing with the message.
There’s a depressingly familiar disclaimer here, though. Though on Pixel phones, Scam Detection is available in the US, UK, Australia and India, it’s a US-only feature for Galaxy S26 users for now.
