Gemini is getting tighter WhatsApp integration

Gemini is slowly becoming the definitive Android assistant, and it’s picking the corpse of Google Assistant. While the process has been slow thus far, the company just took another step forward. According to a report, Gemini will gain much tighter integration with WhatsApp.

So far, some of Gemini’s functionality has been tied to Google Assistant. When you’d ask Gemini to do something, it would then tap Assistant and have it perform that task. This seemed like a pretty odd way to go about making Gemini an Assistant replacement. However, Google has been adding extensions to Gemini that grant it the ability to do more tasks on its own. We don’t know when the transition from Assistant to Gemini will happen, but the Pixel 9 launched with Gemini as the default. So, it shouldn’t be too long from now.

Gemini will get tighter integration with WhatsApp

You can ask Gemini to send a message on WhatsApp. However, it isn’t really Gemini sending the message, it’s Google Assistant. With Google Assistant going by the wayside, the company needs to hand the functionality over to its flagship AI platform. It doesn’t want to leave people using the most popular messaging app out in the dust.

According to the report, Google is working on an extension for Gemini that will let it communicate directly with WhatsApp. When you summon Gemini, all you’ll have to say is “Send [user] a WhatsApp message. ” Gemini will ask you what the message is.

You’ll just need to tell it what message you want it to send. After you say your message, Gemini will give you a recap of your message. It will confirm who you’re sending the message to and it will read your message out loud. Then, it will ask if you’re ready to send the message.

Just like other generative AI tasks, you’ll be able to suggest edits to the message that you want to send, and it will make the changes. Along with the ability to draft messages, users can also manually edit messages before they’re sent.

When Gemini asks if you want to send your message, you’ll see two buttons, one is the Send button and the other is the Modify button. When you tap on the Modify button, you’ll be taken to the conversation with a draft of the message in the text field. Lastly, you’ll be able to have Gemini call people on WhatsApp.

Coming down the road

Assemble Debug discovered this extension and others in the Google app’s beta version 15.40.31.29, so it’s not out just yet. We expect Google to roll out these new extensions soon.