In the battle of the chatbots, Gemini offers many advantages over its competition. Google’s AI is available through a free tier, an $8-per-month AI Plus plan, a $20-per-month AI Pro plan, and a $250-per-month AI Ultra plan, each of which adds more features and better performance.
The free version is geared toward basic tasks, such as answering questions, summarizing text, translating languages, and generating simple code. It can also remember a limited amount of information from previous chats. With a paid subscription, you get advanced code generation and debugging, better language translation, more creative content generation, and a larger context window that can remember more information and better understand complex conversations.
I subscribe to the Pro plan, but even if you use the free version, I’ve found a few ways the AI can help in your everyday life. Here’s what you need to know.
And Now, a Warning
Before you dive into Gemini, be sure to understand its faults and limitations. Like any of today’s AI chatbots, Gemini is far from perfect. As Google points out, its responses may be inaccurate, reflect certain biases from its training, or make it seem as if the AI has personal opinions or feelings. It may even fail to respond or provide inappropriate answers.
Also, be aware that Google has access to your conversations and other user data, ostensibly to evaluate and improve Gemini. On a support page, the company says that human reviewers will review a random sample of chats or portions of chats to assess their quality and determine whether responses are inaccurate, harmful, or low-quality. The chats reviewed aren’t associated with any specific user accounts, but they’re retained for up to three years.
With Google’s review process in mind, I’d avoid sharing any sensitive or confidential information while chatting with Gemini. Your conversations may never be reviewed, but act as if the details you provide in your requests will be seen by other people. With that said, here’s what you can do.
1. Check the Sources
Much has been said about AI’s ability to share accurate information. Thankfully, Google makes it easy to check the sources Gemini uses to generate its responses. When a response is generated, you can click the Sources icon to see which links the AI used. Descriptions and links to the sources then appear in the right pane. Click the X to close the Sources pane.
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On the website, click the three-dot icon. From the menu, select Double-check response to verify the information. Gemini then highlights key passages in the response, linking to the sources. Click a highlighted area or the down-arrow Expand button to see the actual source.
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2. Choose Your Model and Mode
Gemini offers three different modes—Fast, Thinking, and Pro. Fast and Thinking both use Gemini 3 Flash, while Pro uses Gemini 3.1 Pro.
Gemini 3 Flash is fine for quick and easy requests and chats, but it’s not as effective as Gemini 3.1 Pro when it comes to more extensive research and complex analysis. Free users can switch from Flash to Pro mode, but their daily use will be severely limited. Subscribers on any paid plan can tap into Pro with more prompts per day.
With Thinking mode, Gemini works through your question or request step-by-step and double-checks its analysis before arriving at a response. Access to Thinking mode is also limited for free users, but subscribers can access it with hundreds of prompts per day.
To switch between modes, click the drop-down arrow to the right of the prompt on the website, or tap the button in the mobile app. Select between Fast, Thinking, or Pro, then submit your prompt.
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3. Analyze a Photo or File
You can ask Gemini to identify or discuss the content of a photo or file. The AI supports JPEG, JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIF, text files, PDFs, Microsoft Office documents, Google Docs documents, and more. You can also choose different sources, including your own computer, Google Photos, and Google Drive.
To do this, select the plus (+) icon at the prompt. On the website, you can choose from your computer, Google Photos library, or Google Drive. If you’re on mobile, you’ll also be able to pick from your device’s library or open the camera to take a new photo instead.
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With a photo, for example, you can ask Gemini to identify the person or object. With a PDF or Microsoft Office file, you can ask the AI to summarize the content or answer specific questions about it.
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4. Hear the Response Spoken Aloud
Instead of reading the response, why not listen to it spoken aloud? On the website, click the three-dot icon and then select Listen. Gemini starts reading your response. Click the Pause icon to pause or stop the narration. In the mobile app, tap the speaker icon at the top.
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5. Speak Your Request
Instead of typing your question, try submitting it by voice to save time. Click the microphone icon next to the prompt. The first time you do this, you may need to allow Gemini to use your microphone. Speak your request and click the Submit icon.
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6. Talk to Gemini in a Live Conversation
In the mobile app, you can carry on a back-and-forth conversation with Gemini using your respective voices. To kick this off, tap the icon next to the microphone icon and start speaking. Gemini will respond by voice, and you can continue the conversation. When you’re finished, tap the red X icon to view the chat window again. Here, you’ll see a transcript of your conversation.
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7. Dive Into Deep Research
Many topics require more than a quick, simple answer. For a more in-depth analysis of your question, Deep Research is helpful. After you submit your request, Gemini consults a variety of higher-quality websites and then compiles the information into a detailed report. To try this, select Tools > Deep Research at the prompt, then submit your question or request.
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Gemini then outlines its action plan, which you can adjust or accept. To move forward, click the Start Research button. As it conducts the research to generate the report, the AI shows you its process at each step. When finished, the report is presented to you, which you can then turn into a web page, infographic, quiz, flashcards, or an audio overview.
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8. Generate an Image
Need a logo or image? Ask Gemini, and the AI will generate an image based on your description. To give this a shot, click the Create image button under the prompt, describe what you need, and then submit your request. Provide as much detail as possible to ensure the generated image matches your description. Once an image is generated, you can always tell the AI to try again. You can then share, copy, or download the final image.
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9. Generate a Video
Gemini can also be used for video creation. Describe the scene and characters, and the AI will cook up a brief video for you. Google offers a few different tools to conjure up a video, but you can most easily do this directly at the prompt. You can even flavor the clip with dialogue, sound effects, and music.
Click the Create video button, choose a template if you wish, describe the specific scene and characters with sufficient detail, and then submit your request. After several minutes, your video should be generated and be ready to play.
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10. Connect to Other Apps and Services
If you want to ask Gemini questions about your own personal files, emails, appointments, and other content, you can do that through a connected app. Here, you’re able to connect Gmail, Google Drive, Calendar, Google Photos, and YouTube, as well as certain third-party services such as GitHub, OpenStax, and SynthID.
To set this up, click the Settings & help option at the bottom of the left sidebar and select Personal Intelligence. Select Connected Apps and then turn on the switches for the apps and services you wish to connect.
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To ask a question or submit a request related to content on a connected app, type the @ symbol at the prompt. That displays a menu where you select the app you wish to include. Submit your request, and Gemini looks at the external app to generate its response.
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11. Analyze a Web Page
You can also ask Gemini to analyze a web page to summarize its information, answer questions about it, or compare information across multiple tabs. To do this, you’ll need to use Chrome. You should see a button at the top that says Gemini or Browse with AI. If not, go to Settings > AI innovations > Gemini in Chrome and enable Show Gemini at the top of the browser.
Next, launch a web page that you’d like Gemini to analyze. Click the Gemini button at the top to open a right pane where the AI awaits your command. You can start by asking Gemini to summarize the web page and then follow up with specific questions as you carry on a back-and-forth conversation.
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12. Design a Web Page Using Canvas
Need a helping hand designing your own website? Gemini’s Canvas tool can help. With Canvas, you tell the AI what you want to include on a web page, and it generates the HTML code and previews the page for you. As you continue to refine the page with additional instructions, Gemini displays your conversation in one pane and the web page itself in another.
To set this up, open Tools > Canvas on the web. At the prompt, describe the type of page you want and then submit your request. Gemini creates the page, first revealing the HTML code and then showing you a preview. From there, you can fine-tune the page by conversing with the AI, and the web content updates in real time.
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13. Create Your Own AI Chatbots With Gemini Gems
Gemini can handle a wide variety of tasks and requests. But perhaps you’d like to design your own chatbot to tackle a specific topic. You can do that with Gems. Available to free users and paid subscribers alike, Gems lets you build your chatbot using one of its premade templates or starting from scratch. Just describe what you want your Gem to do, and Gemini will create it. You can even upload your own files to cook up your Gem.
Click Gems setting on the left sidebar. Choose one of the existing Gems to get a head start or click the New Gem button to begin on your own. At the prompt, describe the steps you want your Gem to take. Gemini then creates the chatbot for you and invites you to try it. To refine it, just carry on the conversation with Gemini. When done, you can publish the Gem by sharing it and pin it so that it’s accessible from the left sidebar.
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14. Manage Your Conversations
You can easily review and manage all your past chats. The left sidebar displays a history of your conversations. Click Show more to see them all. Select a specific one to view it and pick up the conversation where you left off. Click the three-dot icon for a specific chat to pin it, rename it, or delete it.
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About Our Expert
Lance Whitney
Contributor
Experience
I’ve been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I’ve written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including , ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, PC World, Time, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I’ve also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn.
I’ve used Windows, Office, and other Microsoft products for years so I’m well versed in that world. I also know the Mac quite well. I’m always working with iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and Android on my various mobile devices. And these days, I write a lot about AI, so that’s become another key area for me.
My wife always jokes about all the tech products we have around the house, but I manage to put them to good use for my articles. I like Lenovo computers, so I own a couple of Lenovo desktops and several laptops. I have three MacBooks and a Mac mini. For my mobile life and work, I use an iPhone 16 Pro, iPad Pro, and iPad mini as well as an Apple Watch. But since I write about Android, I own several Android phones and tablets. Like any tech person, I have a cabinet full of cables, wires, and assorted mysterious gadgets. And when it’s time to take a break from writing, I have an old Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, both of which I use for exercise and fitness games.
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