Google loves to integrate its services and that’s more than evident when you start getting to grips with apps in Gemini. There are a good number of apps at your fingertips, a list of which will appear whenever you type @ and they extend the capabilities of the AI platform by offering targeted features – so long as you allow them to connect with your personal information and make use of content.
Apps can be used in Gemini for Android, iOS and iPadOS. You can also make use of them by going to the Gemini website in a browser. They mean you don’t need to keep hopping out of Gemini to make use of various services. Want to listen to songs? Connect YouTube Music. Want to control your smart home appliances? Google Home is there for you.
But we think there are even better apps than those, which is why we’ve decided to go into greater depth with our top five. I use them all the time now, and it may well change the way you use Gemini in the future.
Google Maps
I actually find it’s easier and more convenient to type "@googlemaps" and a request within Gemini than it is to use the Google Maps app itself.
With a simple prompt such as “give me directions to” or “what’s near [a location]”, I can get answers at lightning speed and then switch back to Gemini without missing a beat to ask for more information such as what’s in a specific art gallery or whether there are any roadworks on the way.
When I do use the Google Maps app itself, though, I’m still benefiting. By typing “things to do with kids during the day”, for example, the app is generating great ideas curated with Gemini and by asking questions of specific destinations, I’m getting relevant answers. It’s a great example of AI working well.
Google Flights
With Summer on the way and vacations very much on the agenda, Google Flights is coming into its own just now. Just type "@ Google Flights" to access it from within Gemini.
You can be quite specific, for example stating that you want to fly direct from New York to Orlando in a stated month, departing in the morning if possible and at the best possible prices.
It will then give you some direct morning flights and list the prices and times. A clickable window will also appear showing results from Google Flights with even more information. This will allow you to get even more information and select the most desirable flight.
Again, you can switch easily between Flights and Gemini, so you can get the AI to produce a seven-day itinerary if you wish and to suggest accommodation according to the type you’d like and the approximate budget per night. You can even create a Gemini Gem to work as a trip planner – try something like, “you’re an expert trip planner and you need to remember that I’m going to such a place in May at such a time” and so on. Future answers will be based around that.
Google Workspace
Gemini features are available in the Google Workspace suite of office software and that includes Gmail. Docs, Sheets and Slides. It allows users to summarize, draft and search for information across the suite and make use of Gemini Advanced chat for more complex tasks.
To use it within Gemini, you can just type @gmail, @google calendar, @google docs, @google drive, @google keep, @google tasks or @workspace.
For example, type "@Google Calendar when am I free on Friday?"
If you encounter an error, it’ll be because you haven’t allowed Google Workspace to use your content and activity to personalize your experience but if you go to an app such as Gmail and select your Settings, you can rectify that if you select Manage Workspace smart feature settings and then turn on Smart features in Google Workspace. You’ll be prompted to connect your Workspace.
You can also do the same for smart features in other Google Products so you get a fuller experience with Gemini – as well as seeing events from Gmail in Calendar and personalized search, you’ll get suggested tickets in Wallet and takeaway orders in Maps.
OpenStax
Based at Rice University, OpenStax is the world’s largest nonprofit publisher of open educational resources and it allows users to dive into dozens of openly licensed, peer reviewed academic textbooks. You can just ask a question such as “@openstax describes the structure of a neuron” and it will find the relevant work and pull out the description.
The good thing is that you know the source of a respected one and that you’re going to be getting an accurate answer. Given how much misinformation is out there right now, this is really important and it’s a great app for Gemini to have.
YouTube
The benefit of Google owning both Gemini and YouTube is that you can get much more out of the platform’s videos. You can, for example, search for videos, channels and playlists from a Gemini chat and play videos from within a Gemini chat.
Just type "@Youtube" followed by your query. So, "@YouTube Find me a video showing how to unblock a sink", for example.
But what’s even more magical is that you can ask questions about those videos.
If a video is instructional, try asking for a step-by-step breakdown of what’s being discussed. The Gemini app will effectively watch the video for you if you ask it to (just give it the URL) and provide an overview.
Being able to summarize videos like this is a real time-saver and it cuts out the hassle of working out if a video is going to be worth viewing.
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