If you give permission, the assistant in your car can now read your email. Google has begun rolling out Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature to Android Auto, so the chatbot on your dashboard can draw on your other Google apps to answer questions about your personal life.
Google points to a trip to the airport as its example. Once Personal Intelligence is on and your Gmail account is connected, Google says you can ask Gemini “what’s my flight gate?” or “is my flight on time?” from behind the wheel. There’s no need to pull over and search your inbox for a confirmation email.
Plain requests in place of street addresses
According to Google, the update will improve Gemini's reasoning capabilities in cars and allow the assistant to offer more specific details linked to your questions and prompts.
The way you speak to it may be the bigger change. Google said Personal Intelligence makes it easier to talk to Gemini in a more natural way. Heading to your doctor’s office? You can say “take me to my doctor’s appointment” without reading out a street address while you wait at a red light.
Recommendations work the same way. Google suggests that in an unfamiliar city you can ask for dinner spots along your route, and Gemini will take your preferences and restrictions into account, such as being vegetarian.
These examples come from Google, and they’re the simple ones. Results will depend on how complete and organized your Gmail and calendar are, because Gemini pulls its answers from there.
You decide what it can access
Personal Intelligence remains optional. If you don’t want Gemini drawing on your data, you can turn it off at any time, and you can pick which apps it may access. In a car, where a voice assistant gets your travel plans and appointments, that control carries more weight.
The feature has spread fast this year. Google launched Personal Intelligence at the start of the year so Gemini could use your other Google apps to give more personalized responses. It was first restricted to Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Google made it available to free accounts in March.
Availability and timing
The Android Auto rollout begins today and covers most of the world, with some exceptions. For now, people in Switzerland, the European Economic Area, the UK and Nigeria won’t get it.
This release also skips cars with Google built-in. Google said it plans to add Personal Intelligence to those vehicles in the coming months, so drivers whose cars run Google’s software natively, without going through a phone, will have to wait.