Enhancing Gemini’s Capabilities with Extensions

Discover how to extend the functionality of Google’s new AI virtual assistant, Gemini, by adding extensions and enabling Apps Activity.

Driving home one day, I found myself stuck in traffic and wanted to call my partner. My 2007 car lacks smart features, so I rely on my phone for calls and music. However, when I tried to use the command ‘Hey Google — call Jim on his mobile!’, my phone informed me that Gemini doesn’t support this feature. Realizing I had recently installed Google’s new AI virtual assistant, Gemini, I understood that Google Assistant had been shut down, and Gemini, being new and not fully developed, lacked many of Google Assistant’s features, including making phone calls and sending texts.

Fortunately, there’s a workaround: adding extensions to Gemini, similar to how you would add them to Google Chrome. The main issue I faced was not having turned on Gemini Apps Activity, which logs and stores all your Gemini activity. Without this, extensions don’t function. To enable Gemini Apps Activity, you need to accept a set of instructions about what data is saved, for how long, and for what purpose.

Once enabled, you can either ask Gemini to perform a task, and it will automatically access the necessary extension, or you can browse available extensions by visiting gemini.google.com or tapping your personal icon on the mobile app. After enabling Apps Activity, I tested Gemini’s call feature, which worked successfully. Browsing through extensions on my mobile app, I found several options, with more potentially available by the time you read this.

It’s worth noting that while chats are saved for up to 72 hours regardless of Apps Activity, enabling this feature allows for the deletion of your activity. Hopefully, Gemini will eventually encompass all the useful features of Google Assistant, with its AI functions continuously improving through data usage.