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Google I/O 2026 Roundup: Gemini 3.5, AI Search, Android XR Glasses, and More

Google held its annual Google I/O event today, launching new AI products and giving us a look at what's coming in the near future. Google I/O is Google's equivalent of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and Google's announcements offer insight into what Apple is going to be competing with in the coming months.


We've rounded up everything Google announced at I/O across its product lineup.

Gemini



  • Gemini Omni - Gemini Omni is a new model that can create anything from any input, and that is better at simulating gravity and kinetic energy. It combines Gemini intelligence with generative models like Nano Banana and Veo. It supports conversational language video editing, and allows users to upload videos and edit any element in the video. Omni is starting with video, but Google's Demis Hassabis says it will eventually be able to create any output from any input.

  • Gemini Omni Flash - Gemini Omni Flash is the first Omni model that Google is releasing, and it is available starting today in the Gemini app.

  • Gemini 3.5 Flash - Gemini 3.5 Flash is a new model that Google's Sundar Pichai said combines frontier intelligence with action. Flash is better across almost all benchmarks compared to 3.1 Pro, and it is "comparable to the best models" but faster. Gemini 3.5 Flash is available for everyone today across Google's products and APIs.

  • Gemini 3.5 Pro - Google is testing Gemini 3.5 Pro internally, and it's coming next month.

  • Gemini App - Google redesigned the Gemini app with a new Neural Expressive design language that's rolling out today on desktop, iOS, and Android. It features fluid animations, vibrant colors, haptic feedback, and new typography. It's also getting custom regional dialects in the next few months. Gemini Omni is available for paid Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers in the Gemini app today, making it easier to create and edit videos.

  • AI Agents for Gemini - Gemini is getting AI agents, like a Daily Brief agent that presents users with a customized daily digest. Daily Brief is rolling out today for paid subscribers.

  • Gemini Mac App - Mac users will be able to select a bunch of images and documents in Finder, and then press the Function key to give Gemini a voice command on what to do with the files. Google's demo involved sending an email to a dog kennel with the dog's information and image, with info pulled from Finder to generate an email using Gmail in Chrome. Voice support and Gemini Spark are coming to the Gemini Mac app this summer.

  • Gemini for Science - Gemini for Science is a collection of science tools, and there's also a Co-Scientist collaborative AI research partner.


AI Content Identification



  • Identifying AI-generated Images - C2PA content credentials are coming to Gemini and Chrome. Google's tools can tell if an image was captured with a camera or made with AI, and can determine whether an image captured with a camera was edited with AI. Users will be able to right-click on an image in Chrome and ask Gemini whether it was generated with AI.


Antigravity



  • Antigravity 2.0 - Google is launching a new agent-first Antigravity 2.0 app for the desktop that uses Gemini 3.5 Flash. Antigravity is Google's coding tool, and the equivalent of Copilot, Codex, and Claude Code. Gemini 3.5 Flash is 12x faster in Antigravity, which optimizes token use. Antigravity 2.0 is available globally for everyone.


Gemini Spark



  • Gemini Spark - Gemini Spark is a personal AI agent that helps users navigate their digital life. Gemini Spark runs on virtual machines through Google Cloud, and it is able to operate 24/7, with no need to have a laptop open for it to run. It's accessible through the Gemini app, but there will also be options to email or message it. It uses Gemini 3.5 Flash and Antigravity to work on long-running tasks in the background. It integrates with Google tools now, and Google is debuting MCP support for third-party apps in the coming weeks. Gemini Spark can do multi-step ongoing tasks, planning out subtasks and going through the steps. Gemini Spark will be available for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. next week, and it will work with Chrome later this summer.


Google Search



  • Google Search - Google Search AI Mode and AI Overviews now use Gemini 3.5 Flash. "Google Search is AI Search," was Google's messaging. There's a new Google Search box that's been reimagined with AI, and it changes based on how you're using it and goes "beyond autocomplete" to help you better ask questions. The search box supports images, files, videos, and Chrome tabs as input in addition to text. Pichai said it's the biggest upgrade to the search box in over 25 years, and it's rolling out today. Google is also combining AI Overviews and AI Mode into one interface.

  • Agents in Search - Search is gaining support for creating and managing multiple AI agents. It can keep users updated on what's going on in the world, like changes in the stock market, and send alerts. Search will be able to monitor changes on webpages, so users can get alerts on things like sneaker drops. Information Agents are coming to search in the summer, and Google plans to add more agents.

  • Coding in Search - Agentic coding capabilities are coming to Search. Search will be able to build a custom response on the fly with dynamic layouts, interactive widgets, and more for queries. It uses Antigravity and 3.5 Flash. Search can create tools, trackers, widgets, and dashboards. Generative UI in Search is rolling out this summer for everyone with no charge. Antigravity in Search for building custom experiences is coming in the summer for subscribers first.

  • Shopping in Search - Google has a new Universal Cart coming this summer to Search and the Gemini app. It's an intelligent shopping cart that works across merchants and services. You can add things to the cart when reading Gmail, watching YouTube, or browsing the web, then check out on Google or on third-party retailer sites. Google has a Universal Commerce Protocol and an Agents Payment Protocol for agentic shopping. The payments feature lets AI agents make payments on your behalf using parameters that you set like a brand and price. It's coming to Gemini Spark later this year.


YouTube



  • Ask YouTube - YouTube is getting an Ask YouTube feature, which is similar to the Ask Maps AI feature. It uses Gemini and lets users ask questions. It supports context and follow-up questions, and it's in testing now. It will roll out broadly in the United States this summer.


Google Docs



  • Docs Live - With AI integration in Docs Live, users can speak or write parameters of what they need, and Gemini can create a document. Google's Sundar Pichai said users could "brain dump" and then let Gemini "do the rest." The feature supports text-based commands for creating and editing content.


Hardware



  • Android XR Audio Glasses - The first Android XR audio glasses are coming this fall, providing all-day access to Gemini with responses privately spoken into the wearer's ear. The glasses can be used for taking photos, listening to music, making calls, and tapping into apps. Google worked with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker on the design of the glasses, and Samsung on hardware. The glasses will pair with Android and iOS devices.


Miscellaneous Announcements



  • Google AI Ultra Plan - Google has a new $100 Ultra plan, and it's dropping the price of its top-tier Ultra plan from $250 to $200.

  • Android AI Agents - Android Halo lets Android users keep an eye on AI agents, and it shows activity at the top of an Android device. It's coming to Android later this year.

  • Google Pics - Google Pics is Google's new image generating and editing tool in Google Workspace. It can create posters, flyers, infographics, and more, similar to Canva. Content is watermarked with SynthID. Pics is rolling out this summer.

  • Stitch - Stitch is Google's Figma-like tool that lets users build apps and websites. This year, Google is adding real-time collaborative design with Stitch Agent, exports to Antigravity, and publishing directly to Netlify.

  • Google Flow - Google Flow, Google's "AI creative studio" for creatives, is getting Gemini Omni, AI agents for executing multiple actions at once, and custom tools with Flow Tools. New Google Flow features are available today.


Many of Google's new features are rolling out today, with the rest planned for later this year. Apple is going to hold its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and that's when we'll see if Apple debuts equivalent features.
This article, "Google I/O 2026 Roundup: Gemini 3.5, AI Search, Android XR Glasses, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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How to Prevent Chrome Browser from Downloading 4GB of Local AI Model Files

15 May 2026 at 15:09
If youโ€™re a Mac user of the Chrome web browser, as many are, you might be interested to know that the latest versions of Chrome default to downloading a large local Gemini AI model that can take up around 4GB of storage space. While some users may appreciate and use the local Chrome Gemini AI ... Read More

Google Launches Native Gemini AI App for Mac

Google is bringing Gemini to the Mac with a new native macOS app that's available starting today. Gemini for Mac can be activated with a keyboard shortcut, and it has built-in tools for generating images, analyzing what's on your screen, reviewing files, and more.


Gemini is the last of the three major AI services to have a dedicated Mac app, because OpenAI and Anthropic have had Mac apps for quite some time.

Gemini can be brought up anywhere on the Mac with an Option + Space keyboard command, so there's no need to swap over to a dedicated window. Option + Shift + Space is available for opening the full Gemini chat window. Gemini can also be accessed from the Dock or through the Menu Bar.

Any window on the Mac can be shared with Gemini, allowing Gemini to provide contextual assistance on anything that you're looking at. After activating Gemini, selecting the Share Window option will let Gemini see what it is you want to ask questions about. Gemini will need Accessibility access to read full pages in a browser window.

Nano Banana is available for creating images, and Veo can be used for generating videos.

Gemini for Mac is available for Macs running macOS 15 and later, and it is free to download and use. Free access to Gemini is limited, and Google has subscription plans with increased usage limits. Google AI Plus is $7.99 per month, Google AI Pro is $19.99 per month, and Google AI Ultra is $249.99 per month.

Google says that the Mac app is the first step toward a personal, proactive, and powerful desktop assistant, with more news to follow in the coming months.
Tags: Gemini, Google

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Google Launches Gemini Import Tool for Switching From ChatGPT, Claude, and Other AI Apps

Google is adding a new memory import feature to Gemini, making it easier for customers to switch to Gemini AI from another AI service. Users can import memories, context, and chat history from other AI apps.


Importing memory will provide Gemini with an understanding of a user's preferences, relationships, and personal context. Google says that Gemini will understand the same key facts that have been shared with other apps, so there is no need to start over from scratch when moving to Gemini from another AI service.

The import option can be accessed through the Gemini settings, and it will provide a prompt to copy and paste into an existing AI app. The prompt will ask the AI to generate a preferences summary that can be pasted into Gemini.

Google will also allow users to import their full chat history in a ZIP format, with support for searching past conversation threads and building on those threads with Gemini.
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Google's Personal Intelligence Now Rolling Out to Free Gemini Users in the U.S.

Google is bringing Personal Intelligence to all Google Gemini users starting today, after testing the feature with its paid plans. Personal Intelligence allows Gemini AI to provide personalized responses based on information pulled from connected Google apps like Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and more.


Personal Intelligence is expanding in the U.S. across AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, and Gemini in Chrome.

Gemini is able to draw on the information that it knows about you from your Google accounts, from emails you sent, items you purchased, and what you've searched for. Google says that it is designed to help you "find exactly what you need without having to give all the context."

Google provides several examples of how Gemini's Personal Intelligence can be helpful:

  • Custom shopping recommendations - Gemini can offer custom recommendations based on past purchases. If you want to find a bag to go with new shoes for example, Gemini can narrow the search to matching products.

  • Tech help - Google says users can get troubleshooting help for a product like a refrigerator without knowing the model, because the information can be pulled from a purchase receipt.

  • Making plans - When you're traveling and need to grab a bite to eat at an airport, Gemini can make suggestions based on the types of food that you like. You can also get recommendations on places to eat and visit when traveling based on your interests and past favorites.


Users can choose to connect apps like Gmail and Google โ€ŒPhotosโ€Œ to Gemini for personalization, or can opt out, and the feature is off by default. Google says that Gemini and AI Mode do not train directly on a Gmail inbox or โ€ŒPhotosโ€Œ library, but prompts in Gemini and the model's responses can be used for training purposes.

Personal Intelligence is already available in the U.S. for AI Mode in Search, and it is rolling out in the Gemini app and Gemini in Chrome for free users. Google says that connected experiences are designed for personal Google accounts and not for Workspace business, enterprise, or education users.

Gemini's personalization features could compete directly with the Siri personalization that Apple plans to bring to Siri later this year, as connecting Gmail and other apps to Gemini mirrors some of the functionality that Apple is introducing for โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ. โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ will be able to read emails, messages, files, photos, and more, learning information about the user to complete tasks and keep track of files.

The new โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ features have been delayed several times, and at this point, we may not be getting the updated version of โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ until closer to the end of the year.
Tags: Gemini, Google

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Report: Apple Asks Google to Run Siri on Its Servers

Apple has asked Google to investigate setting up servers in its data centers to run a future version of Siri powered by Gemini, The Information reports.


Currently, Apple sends its more complex AI queries to Private Cloud Compute, a system that runs on Apple servers using Apple silicon chips. Today, only 10% of Apple's Private Cloud Compute capacity is said to be in use on average. The usage is low enough that some servers intended for Apple's AI cloud system are still in warehouses and have not yet been installed. This could change rapidly upon the launch of the next-generation version of โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ, which could spike Apple's demands for cloud computing.

Apple has reportedly suffered from a cultural reluctance to bolster its cloud infrastructure for years, leading to the departure of some key cloud experts from the company, such as Patrick Gates. Gates pioneered the idea of bringing Apple chips to data centers, which later formed the basis of Private Cloud Compute. The company still strongly focuses on hardware devices and consumer features rather than their supporting cloud technologies, despite the growth of services, resulting in a neglect of the need for additional capacity.

At the time Apple realized it needed to use the cloud to support its AI efforts, its internal AI infrastructure was "beginning to decay." The company was amid the process of decommissioning old Nvidia-powered servers. Combined with financial pressure, this led the company to increasingly turn to third-party providers like Amazon.

For years, Apple banned its AI engineers from Google's cloud technologies because of privacy concerns. Apple software chief Craig Federighi repeatedly vetoed Google Cloud as an option for its AI computing requirements. In 2023, Google made changes to its security systems that satisfied Apple's privacy concerns. Apple then started to adopt Google's cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence.

The issue has been exacerbated by problems with Private Cloud Compute, which takes longer to update than other servers. Moreover, the chips currently used in Private Cloud Compute servers were designed for consumer devices and are not optimized for AI workflows, meaning that they are not well equipped to run large models like Gemini.

Apple now wants to be prepared for a potential surge in AI use on its devices when the more powerful, Gemini-based version of โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ debuts later this year, motivating the request for Google to run โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ directly on its servers. See The Information's full report for more.

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Donโ€™t Want Ads in ChatGPT? Try Claude Instead

11 February 2026 at 00:06
If youโ€™d like to maintain and ad-free AI experience, you might want to consider using Claude, which offers free AI tools, web chat, and clients for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, all of which are free from advertising clutter. Why are you mentioning this? Well, you might have seen that OpenAI has recently announced that ChatGPT ... Read More

Apple Explains How Gemini-Powered Siri Will Work

Apple CEO Tim Cook yesterday reiterated the structure of its partnership with Google to use Gemini AI models for the next generation version of Siri.


During the company's Q1 2026 earnings call yesterday, Apple CEO โ€ŒTim Cookโ€Œ and CFO Kevan Parekh were asked several questions about Apple Intelligence and the company's recently announced deal with Google to power the personalized version of โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ using Gemini.


We basically determined that Google's AI technology would provide the most capable foundation for AFM (Apple Foundation Models), and we believe that we can unlock a lot of experiences and innovate in a key way due to the collaboration. We'll continue to run on the device and run in Private Cloud Compute and maintain our industry-leading privacy standards in doing so. In terms of the arrangement with Google, we're not releasing the details of that.


That description closely matches language from Apple and Google's earlier joint announcement, which said that โ€ŒApple Intelligenceโ€Œ would continue to operate on Apple hardware and Private Cloud Compute.

Cook also addressed Apple's own artificial intelligence development efforts, noting that the company continues to build its own technology alongside the Gemini partnership, but clarified that those efforts do not replace Google's role in the personalized โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ system.


You should think of it as a collaboration. And we'll obviously independently continue to do some of our own stuff, but you should think of what is going to power the personalized version of Siri as a collaboration with Google.


When asked about monetization and return on investment, Cook framed โ€ŒApple Intelligenceโ€Œ as a feature integrated across Apple's platforms rather than a discrete revenue driver.

We're bringing intelligence to more of what people love and we're integrating it across the operating system in a personal and private way, and I think that by doing so, it creates great value, and that opens up a range of opportunities across our products and services. And we're very happy with the collaboration with Google as well, I should add.


Neither Cook nor Parekh disclosed how many users currently have access to โ€ŒApple Intelligenceโ€Œ features or whether those capabilities are driving hardware upgrades. Apple previously acknowledged that โ€ŒApple Intelligenceโ€Œ is limited to devices with sufficient memory and processing capacity, which constrains availability somewhat.
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Here's When Apple Plans to Unveil a New Siri Powered by Google Gemini

Apple plans to unveil a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google Gemini next month, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.


"The company has been planning an announcement of the new Siri in the second half of February, when it will give demonstrations of the functionality," he wrote, in the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter today.

Gurman does not yet know if Apple plans to hold a full-out event to demonstrate the Siri upgrades, or if it will hold private briefings with the media.

The more personalized Siri will be part of iOS 26.4, which will be available in beta in February and released to the general public in March or early April, according to Gurman. Based on that timeframe, the new-and-improved Siri should be available to all customers with an iPhone 15 Pro or newer in just a few more months.

As previewed by Apple, the assistant "should be able to tap into personal data and on-screen content to fulfill tasks," according to Gurman.

Apple first announced the more personalized version of Siri all the way back at WWDC 2024, but it was eventually delayed. At the time, Apple showed an iPhone user asking Siri about their mother's flight and lunch reservation plans based on info retrieved from the Mail and Messages apps, as one example of a new capability.

The revamped Siri reportedly experienced issues inside Apple, leading the company to turn to Google Gemini. The revamped Siri will technically still run on a new Apple Intelligence model that has Gemini's technology baked in.

Siri will reportedly get even better on iOS 27, as Apple is said to be planning to turn the assistant into a full-out chatbot, allowing users to have sustained, back-and-forth conversations with the assistant. This will essentially turn Siri into ChatGPT or Gemini, except it will be built right into the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with no app required.

Gurman said the Siri chatbot will be "competitive with Gemini 3," and "significantly more capable" than the more personalized Siri coming with iOS 26.4.

Siri's chatbot might run directly on Google's servers.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

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Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.


For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more capable, though training and architecture are also factors. Bloomberg says that Google's model "dwarfs" the parameter level of Apple's current models.

The current cloud-based version of Apple Intelligence uses 150 billion parameters, but there are no specific metrics detailing how the other models Apple is developing measure up.

Apple will use Gemini for functions related to summarizing and multi-step task planning and execution, but Apple models will also be used for some โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ features. The AI model that Google is developing for Apple will run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, so Google will not have access to Apple data.

Gemini uses a Mixture-of-Experts architecture, so while it has over a trillion total parameters, only a fraction of them are activated for each query. The architecture allows for a large total compute capacity without racking up significant processing costs.

Apple weighed using its own AI models for the LLM version of โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ, and also tested options from OpenAI and Anthropic, but it decided to go with Gemini after deciding Anthropic's fees were too high. Apple already has a partnership with Google for search results, with Google paying Apple around $20 billion per year to be the default search engine option on Apple devices.

Though Apple is planning to rely on Google AI for now, it plans to continue working on its own models and will transition to an in-house solution when its LLMs are capable enough. Apple is already working on a 1 trillion parameter cloud-based model that could be ready as soon as 2026. Apple is unlikely to publicize its arrangement with Google while it develops in-house models.

Apple was meant to debut an updated version of โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ in iOS 18, but deficiencies required the company to overhaul the underlying โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ architecture and significantly delay the rollout. The smarter โ€ŒApple Intelligenceโ€Œ โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ is expected to be introduced in an iOS 26.4 update that's coming in spring 2026.

โ€ŒSiriโ€Œ will be able to answer more complex queries and complete more complicated tasks in and between apps. It will be closer in function to Claude and ChatGPT, though Apple is not planning a dedicated chatbot app.
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