【AI前沿】The Top New Features in Google’s Android 17—and Gemini Intelligence—Coming This Summer

Julian ChokkattuGearMay 12, 2026 1:00 PMThe Top New Features in Google’s Android 17—and Gemini Intelligence—Coming This SummerYou’ll soon be able to generate your own widgets or ask Gemini to finish a booking in Chrome on Android.Courtesy of AndroidCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyThe Google I/Oannualdeveloper conferenceis around the corner—May 19—but in what is quickly becoming a tradition, Google announced new features for Android and Gemini a week early.The news came on Tuesday via thesecond-everAndroid Show on YouTube. This livestreamed presentation helps Google spread out the cavalcade of updates from the often jam-packed I/O keynote.The Android Show focused on new features in Android 17, the next version of Android coming later this summer, as well as several updates to the Gemini assistant experience. It continues the themeset last year by Sameer Samat, president of the Android ecosystem, of turning Android into an “intelligent operating system.” Samat and his team aim to do this by adding a host of new AI-powered features to the mobile OS, including a generative AI widget-creation tool and an improved voice-to-text model that uses AI to cut those “ums” and “ahs” as you speak.What if you don’t want AI baked into your phone? “A user always has control,” says Mindy Brooks, vice president of product management on the Gemini Intelligence experience. “They can turn it off, they can make a choice, and we are very clear about providing those tools for them to make the choices that work for them. We really wanted to focus on bringing features that are aligned with what users are saying they want and need.”Here’s everything you need to know about what was announced during the 2026 Android Show. And if you want to learn more about the newly announced Googlebook platform for laptops, we’vegot you covered here.Gemini IntelligenceGoogle is officially packaging many of the new Gemini features itintroduced on flagship smartphones in recent monthsas “Gemini Intelligence,” which brings the best of Gemini to some of the most advanced devices on the market. That means many of these features aren’t necessarily tied to Android 17, and will roll out in waves starting withSamsung GalaxyandGoogle Pixel phonesthis summer, as well as smartwatches, cars, smart glasses, and laptops later in the year.There’s a new visual indicator when Gemini is “thinking” and working on your behalf, and you’ll see these visuals pop up throughout the operating system.Multi-Step TasksCourtesy of GoogleGoogle debutedGemini Task Actionsa few months ago, allowing you to ask Gemini to book an Uber or order your favorites from DoorDash. When you trigger a task, Gemini opens a virtual app experience and runs through the motions while you can continue using your phone for something else. When it has completed the task and needs you to press a button to place an order or book a reservation, it’ll ping you to make that final call.These actions are expanding to support more apps and services, and it may not even be necessary to have a specific app installed, as Gemini can handle these tasks via the Chrome browser. So if you see an interesting brochure while traveling, you can snap a pic and ask Gemini to “find a tour like this on Expedia for four people.” Gemini will either run the action through the Expedia app if you have it installed or head to Expedia’s website in Chrome.“We are moving toward a world where it starts to work in a much more comprehensive way,” Brooks says. “You’re going to see it available to many more apps, and also, I think the really exciting thing is Chrome’s automation on Android being expanded as well. Those two things combined will really create a comprehensive automation suite for our users.”Chrome Auto BrowseCourtesy of GoogleSpeaking of Chrome’s automation upgrade, Android users will be able to deploy Gemini as a browsing assistant in Chrome starting in late June. Google says Gemini can help research, summarize, and compare content on the web, and you can call on it to handle an appointment booking or reserve a parking spot. For example, if you go to SpotHero’s website to find a parking spot—instead of entering all the details manually and making the reservation, you can ask Gemini, and it’ll do the job for you.AI-Powered AutofillCourtesy of GoogleWe’re all aware of the autofill function in Chrome—and thesecurity risks that come with using it. Google is now upgrading it with Gemini’sPersonal Intelligence, where Gemini can source your information from a myriad of first-party Google apps like Gmail and Google Photos. That means even more text fields can be filled out automatically. For example, if you need to enter your passport ID or driver’s license, Gemini can find that information from your emails—or maybe a photo of your passport you saved in Drive—so you don’t have to fish your passport from a drawer.Google says connecting Gemini to Autofill is opt-in, and you can turn it on or off