Reports indicate that Google Gemini is extending its support to Android 10, aiming to accommodate older smartphones.
According to the report, previous iterations of Google Gemini exclusively catered to Android 12 and subsequent versions.
According to a report, Google’s Gemini app is expanding its compatibility to include older Android operating systems. Recently, some users noticed that the Gemini app became accessible on devices running Android 10, marking a significant change from its previous support limited to Android 12 and newer versions. Users have reported that the app is running smoothly without any performance issues. Additionally, it’s been mentioned that Google is actively developing new features for its Gemini platform on Android. Some of these upcoming features include a floating window feature for overlaying apps, real-time generation capabilities, and prompt scheduling.
This development was brought to light by several users on X (formerly Twitter) and was reported by 9to5Google. User Sumanta Das noted that the Gemini app was working perfectly on his Android 10 device. This observation was later confirmed by Artem Russakovskii, a tipster and founder of APK Mirror, who stated, “Sumanta is correct. The latest release of Gemini is the first version to support Android 10 and 11. All previous versions (except for the very first one, oddly enough, which supported Android 6+) were designed for Android 12 or later.”
The publication further confirmed this by testing the Gemini app on a Pixel phone powered by Android 10. They discovered that the app’s functionality mirrored that of its Android 14 counterpart. Interestingly, Google did not formally announce an expansion to older devices, but it seems the company aims to encompass more devices within its AI ecosystem.
It’s worth noting that since the functionality of the Gemini app remains unaffected, it should be capable of serving as the on-device assistant, potentially replacing Google Assistant. However, it remains unclear whether the AI Assistant features are identical to those on newer Android versions.
The current Gemini AI Assistant has limited capabilities. While it can handle generative AI tasks and basic on-device functions, it lacks access to third-party apps. For instance, if you attempt to send a message via WhatsApp using Gemini, it will defer to Google Assistant to complete the task. A previous report indicated that the company was working on enhancing the AI Assistant’s capabilities. Specifically, Gemini might soon support playing music from third-party apps such as Spotify and YouTube Music on devices.
