Google is updating the Gemini app on Android, iOS, and the web. These changes make the app easier to use and give it a cleaner look. The update mainly focuses on the Tools menu and the “My stuff” section.
The new Tools menu first appeared on the Gemini website earlier this week. Now, it is gradually rolling out to Android and iOS users. On Android, the Tools menu opens from the bottom of the screen and now has a clear name at the top. This helps users understand what the menu is for.
At the bottom of the menu, there is a new section – Experimental features. It has a “Labs” label and shows features that Google is still testing.
Image via 9to5Google
There is also a new option, Personal Intelligence, for Google AI subscribers in the US. Users can turn this on or off for the current chat only. This lets people choose whether Gemini can use personal information during that conversation.
On iOS, the Tools menu has changed in how it looks and opens. Instead of using the system pop-up menu, it now appears as a bottom sheet, similar to the model picker in the app. The ‘plus’ button used for adding attachments has not changed.
There are also updates to “My stuff.” On Android and the web, the preview showing the three latest items has been removed. This makes the side panel look cleaner and simpler. On the Gemini website, the “My stuff” section now has a fun smiley star icon. Stay tuned for more information.
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Yet more worries for new car sales in Finland at -5.1% year-on-year in January to just 5,374 units. Toyota (-7.4%) reclaims the brands top spot with 15.1% share vs. 11.2% in December, distancing Skoda (+9.8%) at 11.5% vs. 10% last month. Volvo (-1.3%) advances two ranks on last month to #4 whereas Volkswagen (-10.7%), leader in December, falls to #5. Tesla (+286.2%) compensates on a particularly low January 2025 result (-65.7%) and ranks inside the Top 10 at #9. Other great performers below include Seat (+500%), Smart (+295.2%), Mini (+100%), BYD (+98%) and Xpeng (+87.5%).
Over in the models charts, the Tesla Model Y (+550%) surges to pole position which is unusual for a quarter start. Selling exactly the same amount is the Toyota Yaris Cross (+14.5%), leader over the Full Year 2025. At #3, the Toyota bZ4X (+101.1%) posts a fantastic result and climbs onto the Finnish podium for the first time – and in the Top 10 for the first time also. The Nissan Qashqai (-35.1%) was #1 a year ago and pays it this month. Another excellent month for the Skoda Elroq (+1176.9%) celebrating one year in market with a 5th position. The good surprise of the month is the 9th place of the Mercedes CLA (+633.3%), inside the Top 10 for the 2nd month in a row after ranking #10 in December – making Finland the only market in the world where the CLA is in the Top 10. For its part the new Smart #5 continues to shine at #20 even though this is significantly below the #7 it reached last month. Finland remains the only market in the world where the #5 is met with success.
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162,779 new light vehicles found a buyer in Brazil in January, a small 2.1% year-on-year improvement. Fiat (-0.3%) remains solid at 21% share vs. 20.9% over the Full Year 2025, distancing a surging Volkswagen (+21.6%). In contrast, Chevrolet (-17.8%) suffers but stays #3. In fact the entire Top 5 is unchanged on December, with Hyundai (+3.2%) at #4 and BYD (+48.8%) repeating at a record 5th place and reaching an all time high 6% market share. The rest of the Top 10 all underperform with year-on-year losses, with Nissan (-30.2%) and Toyota (-17.5%) hit the hardest and Honda (-9.1%), Renault (-5.2%) and Jeep (-3.7%) posting more modest falls. Below, GWM (+70.5%) hits a record ranking (#11) and share (2.7%), while newcomers Geely repeats at an all time high #18 and Omoda breaks into the Top 20 for the first time at #19.
Model-wise, like last year the Fiat Strada (+20.1%) starts 2026 all guns blazing with 6.5% of the market vs. 3.5% for the #2, the VW T-Cross (+8.1%). The VW Polo (-1.8%) is back up one spot on last month to #3 ahead of the Fiat Argo (+0.1%) also up one to #4 and the sensation of recent months the new VW Tera, lodging a 4th consecutive month inside the Brazilian Top 5 at #5. The Toyota Hilux (+10.4%) soars 10 spots on December to #10 and 2.5% share vs. #19 and 1.9% over the Full Year 2025. The BYD Dolphin Mini (+64.6%) cracks the Top 20 for the first time at #20 and tops all BEVs. Finally the GWM Haval H6 is up six ranks to an all-time high #22.
Apple told you for years that what happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone, yet today that promise bends as Siri will begin calling Gemini to think for answers, and Google just confirmed its Cloud partnership with Apple.
Mark Gurman confirms Apple is paying Google, probably Cloud too, roughly 1 billion dollars a year so Gemini can power Siri. That is not a side project; that is rent, paid to a company Apple loves to frame as the opposite of its values.
You might think this is just a smart business move by Apple. iPhone fans are told Apple tried to build its own models, massive ones, roughly 150 billion parameters strong, and they still came up short when reality arrived.
Google showed up with a 1.2 trillion parameter machine, and the doors opened. We have been covering Siri long enough to remember the glow-up promise. Twenty months have passed since Apple first teased a smarter assistant.
Now the upgrade arrives, not from Apple alone, but Google infrastructure humming in the background. This is not about whether Gemini is good; it is about honesty.
If Apple’s future intelligence depends on rented brains, then the privacy story will keep shrinking, quietly, until it fits whatever deal comes next.
Google says Apple will be using Google Cloud as part of the Gemini deal. This doesn’t square at all with Apple’s claims about using its own servers/Private Cloud Compute. Apple is using Google Cloud for the chatbot Siri in the fall.
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Google may soon let people make 3D avatars of themselves using Gemini. These avatars could be used in video calls when you don’t want to show your real face. The idea is similar to Apple’s Persona on the Vision Pro or Samsung’s Likeness feature on the Galaxy XR headset.
The feature has been spotted in the newest Google app beta on Android version 17.4.66 by Android Authority. It is called “Characters” and can be found in the Gemini launcher menu.Tapping it opens a screen where you can record a short selfie video to create a digital avatar of yourself.
Once your avatar is made, you can look at it, make changes, or delete it. Right now, recording a new video doesn’t work fully, so the feature is still being developed. These avatars look very similar to the ones on Apple and Samsung devices.
Before, Google had a Likeness feature on Gemini for the web.People thought it was for checking if a video was AI-made. But it seems that it is actually for making avatars.
Image via Android Authority
The interesting part is that Google seems to be making these 3D avatars without using special sensors like Apple or Samsung headsets. Instead, the AI in Gemini might create the avatar using just your phone’s camera.
It’s not fully clear what you will be able to do with these avatars, but the most obvious use is for video calls. They could act as a stand-in for your real face when you don’t want to appear on camera.
Even though the feature isn’t ready yet, it shows that Google wants Gemini to be part of daily life to help people interact and represent themselves in new ways. As development continues, we can expect more details about how Characters will work.
Google has brought a new feature, Gemini Labs, to the Gemini web app. This new section is made to hold features that are still being tested.It helps users clearly see which tools are new, experimental, and not fully finished yet. By doing this, Google makes Gemini easier to understand and use.
A new toggle, Personal Intelligence, has been added with app. This option lets users choose whether Gemini can use information from connected Google apps, like Gmail or Google Drive, during a chat.
The setting is turned on by default. If users turn it off, Gemini will not use their connected app data in that conversation. When a new chat starts, the setting turns back on automatically.
Image via 9to5Google
To support these changes, Google has slightly changed the Tools menu. Regular features such as Deep Research, Nano Banana, and Deep Think are now grouped together in the main Tools area. Experimental features are kept in Gemini Labs so users can easily tell the difference.
For months, signs of Gemini Labs appeared in updates behind the scenes, showing Google was preparing a space for testing new ideas. Right now, Gemini Labs is only available on the Gemini web app in some regions. Mobile apps have not changed yet, but Google will likely bring this feature to more users soon. Stay tuned for more information.
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