A cleaner, unified Gemini interface could be coming to your Android phone

Just last week, we spotted Google adding a dedicated Settings option at the bottom of Gemini’s sidebar, similar to what we’ve seen on Gemini’s web interface. With this week’s release of the Google app v17.11.54 beta, we’ve spotted that Google is essentially copying the web interface into the Android app!

Google could copy part of Gemini’s web interface to the Android app

Gemini can be used through its Android app (which is an extension of the Google app), but you can also navigate to the web version of Gemini through a browser. Most users would stick with the dedicated Android app, but if you’re used to the web version on a PC, for instance, there is some incentive to use Gemini’s web version on mobile too.

Within Google app v17.11.54 beta, we’ve enabled a UI that is similar to Gemini’s mobile web version.

Gemini’s mobile web version includes a “Settings & help” menu at the bottom of the sidebar, which is missing from the current Android app. However, Google could soon add this to the Android app in a future release. We also see similarities for “Scheduled actions” and “My stuff,” and the upcoming Notebooks (previously known as “Projects” within the app) section will also find its home here.

Further, you can see icons to collapse sections for Notebooks, Gems, and Chats, helping keep the interface tidy.

With these changes, it seems Google wants to aim for a consistent UI and experience for Gemini on mobile, whether you use the Android app or access it through the browser. This is great for user experience, and a change we can get behind.

Gemini will show you the last extension or tool it used for your task

Gemini can plug into various tools and extensions to execute tasks based on user queries. Currently, the query header lists out tools in the format “Google Search & 1 more.” When you expand the collapsed header, you can see all the extensions that Gemini used to execute the task.

We managed to enable a new UI that highlights the last-used extension in the query header, in the format “Used Google Keep”. When you expand the collapsed header, you can see the Gemini model used, as well as all the extensions used for the query.

Gemini could shift the model switcher to the app header

Currently, Gemini presents the model switcher as a button right below the text input field, but that space feels a little crowded at times.

Google seems to be looking to shift the model switcher to the header area in a future release, and we managed to activate the change to give you a look:

Shifting the model switcher to the header area declutters the text input field a little. It also adds a little friction to switching models. Since Google now defaults to the “Fast” model (Gemini 3 Flash) and it’s gotten really good — good enough for general queries — most users don’t need to toggle to the “Thinking” or “Pro” model. This change will move the model switcher to the header, where it requires a longer thumb stretch to switch.

Newer icons for the feedback row

Another minor upcoming change that we spotted is newer icons for the feedback row in conversations. These icons are thinner, but they get the job done either way:

None of these changes are currently live within Gemini. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more.