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Gemini has been the big thing at Google for a few years, and barely an update goes by without some sort of new Gemini-powered feature or upgrade landing on Android phones. The problem is, like most phone companies, Google seems content in just leaving you to figure everything out for yourself — a bit like my eighth-grade math teacher.
But it sounds like Google could start taking a more proactive approach to educating its users about mobile AI by adding a new "Discover" tab to the Gemini app. Or at least, that's what Android Authority uncovered while diving into the code of the latest Google app update (version 17.10.54.sa.arm64).
It's worth noting that this is not the same Discover as Google Discover, which is a content discovery tool inside Chrome and the Google app — offering a personalized and curated feed of web content. This seems to be a place where users can learn about what Gemini offers, and could include prompts, tutorials and general information about how this whole "artificial intelligence" thing actually works.
Article continues belowI gotta say, it's about time Google figured out people need help understanding new features. This should have been something that it included in the Gemini app on day one — not three years after release.
What took so long?
It's rather bewildering that phone companies could be so cavalier about the way they implement AI on their devices. If we believe everything Silicon Valley is saying, AI is the next big thing that's going to revolutionize the world — and definitely not a hype bubble that's going to pop at any minute.
Despite the constant praising of AI and what it can offer us, nobody ever seemed to consider whether regular people knew what they were doing.
Gemini features usually aren't that complicated, but being able to use them actually relies on you a) knowing what tools are on offer and b) where to find them. Considering the rate at which Google updates Gemini, it can be hard to keep up, even if you do have an idea of what to look for. I work with phones for a living, and use a Pixel 10 Pro every day — and even I couldn't tell you about half of the AI features on the phone without looking them up first. What chance do casual, far-less-nerdy-then-me users have at remembering it all?
It's a good example of how disconnected big tech seems to be from the general public. It often feels like they forgot that there are huge numbers of people who haven't been hyper-exposed to this stuff every day for several years -- so it's not second nature to them,
When you're hanging your future success on a bunch of extravagant new tools, the absolute least you could do is make sure people know how to use them.
The tide seems to be turning
Samsung figured that out, promising that Bixby on the Galaxy S26 will work as a middleman to help people make the most out of Galaxy AI without necessarily having to figure it out for themselves. You ask Bixby for a result, and it makes it all happen for you. It's a useful tool to have, since it makes AI capabilities more accessible, but it doesn't do much to help people better understand what they have on their phones.
Gemini's Discover tab could help fill that knowledge gap, assuming Google implements it correctly. It should be a place that tells people what sort of things Gemini can offer, while simultaneously giving them the resources to learn how to use it. This should make AI features more of an everyday phone function, rather than something you hear about and immediately forget.
Let's just hope Google actually offers useful and detailed tutorials, otherwise it's just going to be another wasted effort.
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