AssembleDebug / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google’s currently working on a number of visual changes to how you interact with the Gemini overlay.
- In addition to updating the coloring and shape of the overlay, we’ve identified a new animation it could use to appear on screen.
- We can trigger this effect both when accessing the overlay via swiping, as well as long-pressing the power button.
Google continues to make the case for Gemini in — well, pretty much everything — and little by little it’s been winning us over. As we track Google’s progress with its AI tool, we’re not just interested in new models and evolving functionality, but also in how Google actually gives us access to Gemini. We’re starting off this week with a look in the latter direction, as we check out a subtle UI tweak for how Gemini makes its appearance on our screens.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
We’ve seen Google giving the Gemini app a bit more pizazz in recent updates, like just last week when it updated its reds-and-blues color scheme to start embracing some Google rainbow goodness. And now we’ve got an idea of what Google could be planning to tweak next, thanks to our latest teardown.
Looking through version 16.26.64.sa.arm64 of the Google app, we’ve been able to get an early peek at a new animation for pulling up your Gemini overlay. So far, this input bar has just sort of popped straight up from the bottom of your screen:
You may remember that about a week back we spotted work towards a new rainbow-ringed version of the Gemini overlay with a more rounded-off pill shape. And while that represented a cool new look, at the time it still behaved like the existing overlay.
We’re now able to trigger a slightly revised behavior, where the overlay pops up and expands as it appears from the bottom of the screen.
Functionally, we’re not seeing any changes, and this is just a new way for Gemini to show up that feels maybe a little more pleasing to the eye — more entertaining, certainly. It’s got that playful vibe that makes it feel right at home with Google Material 3 Expressive changes, as we’re currently seeing implemented across more and more of the company’s software.
While there’s not much more to this, we’ve got one more demo to share with you. Remember a few weeks back when we checked out that new animation in Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 when long-pressing your power button, doing that little screen-compression squeeze effect? Sure enough, it works just fine with this new on-screen action:
The two animations together have an incredibly pleasing synergy to them — just very bouncy and kinetic. If you’re a fan, keep an eye on our coverage of Gemini teardowns, as we doubt this is the final tweak Google has in mind.
