How to use the Gemini AI assistant in Android 16

This section explains how to use Gemini as your voice assistant in Android 16. This is a step-by-step guide with pictures of the screens to help.

1. You can call up the Gemini assistant by pressing and holding on the side button (previously the power button) or by saying ‘Hey, Google’ or ‘OK, Google’. You can type requests into the prompt bar by tapping where it says Ask Gemini, or you can tap the Microphone button and use speech instead. The microphone should already be active if you used your voice to launch the assistant.

2. You can launch apps just by typing or saying ‘launch’ or ‘start’ then the app name. For instance, if you wanted to launch the Audible app and listen to an audio book, you can say ‘launch audible.’

3. You can also find Android settings easily using voice commands. For example, saying or typing ‘Adjust the brightness’ should open up the Display and touch settings page so that you can adjust the brightness level. Saying ‘Take me to the accessibility settings’ will open the Accessibility Settings page.

4. Gemini also makes it easy to set alarms and reminders. Say or type ‘Set up an alarm for tomorrow morning at seven thirty’ and Gemini will do it. You can also cancel an alarm by saying ‘cancel the alarm for tomorrow morning.’

5. Gemini can also control playback in most popular music or video streaming apps. Here, in the Amazon Music app, you can say or type ‘Pause the track’ to pause it, ‘Play the track’ to resume playback, or ‘Skip this track’ to skip it. 

6. To adjust the volume, say  or type ‘turn up the volume’ or ‘turn down the volume’ to increase or decrease the volume level by 10%.