Android Halo is Google's new way to keep AI agents from feeling sneaky

Google has announced a new Android feature called “Android Halo” that’s designed to make AI agents a little less mysterious on your phone.

Previewed alongside new Gemini announcements at Google I/O, Android Halo will add a subtle status indicator at the top of your screen that shows an AI agent is working on your device in real time. It’ll appear when an agent is completing a task, entering live mode, or sending you a message, keeping that activity visible no matter which app you’re using.

The idea is that instead of forcing users to constantly switch back into Gemini or another assistant app to check progress, Android Halo keeps the agent’s status visible at all times. Google shared the short clip below of what Halo could look like on your phone, showing a spark icon in the top-right corner of the screen.

Google says Android Halo will first work with Gemini Spark, the new proactive AI agent coming to the Gemini app, but will also support other AI agents after it launches later this year. The company also teased additional Halo capabilities powered by Gemini Intelligence, though it isn’t sharing details just yet.

Android Halo appears to be part of Google’s broader push to make AI agents feel more transparent on Android. Earlier, Google also announced upgrades coming to Android’s Privacy Dashboard to better track AI assistant activity across apps.

Android phones will soon show real-time indicators and detailed activity logs for actions performed by AI assistants on-device. Users will also be able to review which AI assistants were active and which apps they accessed within the last 24 hours through the Privacy Dashboard.