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9h ago

Google’s Gemini AI to Control Android Apps Starting July 7

Privacy advocates question how to disable the new feature despite Google’s assurance that chats won’t be reviewed when activity tracking is off.

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Gemini’s update is making Android users rethink privacy. Curious about what’s changing? Get the real story before the July rollout.
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Overview

  • Starting July 7, Gemini AI will be able to send messages, place calls and interact with WhatsApp and utility apps on Android devices by default, ignoring prior activity settings.
  • Google’s email says users can disable these interactions via the Apps settings page but offers no clear instructions, and some recipients say they never received the notification.
  • Google says that with “Gemini Apps Activity” off, interactions won’t be used to train its AI models and chat data will expire after 72 hours.
  • Unclear wording around what it means for Gemini to “help you use” apps has fueled worries about unseen data collection and AI permissions.
  • The update forms part of Google’s broader plan to replace Google Assistant with Gemini on Android and complements the new Gemini Robotics On-Device model from DeepMind.