The topic Gemini app preps ‘Proactive Assistance’ and new Gemini voices is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
Google’s goal with Gemini is to build a personal, proactive, and powerful assistant. The final tentpole is the underlying model, while Personal Intelligence became free earlier this year. The Gemini app is now readying “Proactive Assistance.”
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
The Google app 17.18 beta reveals the existence of “Proactive Assistance” to “Get personalized suggestions at the right time.”
Strings in this release describe the setup process. You will be able to “Choose apps, like Gmail and Calendar, that Proactive Assistance can use for suggestions.” Besides applications, Proactive Assistance can also use “what’s on your screen” and “your notifications.”
Awesome! These are major painpoints of Google AI right now. The voices sound a bit weird still and the phone is not adjusting to the user's infos on the screen well enough (on the Pixel 10. Also, please drop the exclusivity, Google…). So if they improve AI suggestions throughout the day and we get an assistant voice we really like to hear, then this would be a major plus point for Google. Only fix Gemini now and we are good to go for the next year.
At I/O 2025, Google gave the example of Gemini checking your Calendar and seeing that you have an upcoming test. The Gemini app then sends a notification that links to a practice quiz it generated.
Meanwhile, the “Your Day” proactive feed has been renamed to “Daily brief.” It’s presumably one of the first manifestations of Proactive Assistance.
Finally, we learn today that “Gemini’s previous voice options are going away, so you won’t see them here anymore.” Google refers to them as the “Legacy voices.” Since launch, we’ve had Ursa, Nova, Vega, Pegasus, Orion, Eclipse, Capella, Lyra, Dipper, and Orbit.