Exciting UI Enhancements on the Horizon for Gemini Users

Gemini has been evolving rapidly, and Google seems ready to enhance its user interface. Significant UI transformations are underway for Gemini, and they are beginning to materialize.

Recent findings reveal that Google is working on a dedicated notifications area, refined chat organization, search filters for recent chats, and an option to conceal Gemini’s status bar icon.

While none of these modifications are live yet, we uncovered these developments by examining Google app version 17.52.12.sa.arm64. Alone, they provide fragmented hints at upcoming features; together, they illustrate Google’s ambition to simplify and enhance the Gemini experience.

The Gemini sidebar could soon feature some pragmatic adjustments. Currently, pinned conversations reside within the Recents section. Our findings suggest that Google intends to separate pinned chats into their own designated section above Recents, making important conversations more accessible.

However, this shift may come at a cost. Searching for chats now requires navigating to the sidebar, tapping “Search chats,” and entering keywords. Under the proposed design, this search function might be relocated to the sidebar’s header, potentially complicating one-handed use.

As illustrated in the screenshot, the search magnifying glass icon is complemented by a new bell icon. This is part of a new section Google is testing, which, although currently empty, could eventually showcase all notifications from Gemini, including updates on tasks and features. Currently, task notifications exist but are hard to track once dismissed. A dedicated Notifications section could significantly enhance user experience.

In scenarios where users need to find a chat but can’t recall any keywords, Gemini may soon introduce additional filtering options in its Recents section.

Google is also enhancing the Recents section with various filters that let users organize conversations by their status. The identified filters include Unread, Ready, Needs attention, and In progress, with the last two likely related to tasks in Gemini Spark.

Speaking of Spark, a dedicated Customize section seems to be in the works for the AI assistant.

This new Customize feature will likely be part of the sidebar, allowing users to explore skills and apps linked to Gemini Spark. Tapping on it will lead to a Discover tab presenting skills and apps categorized under headings such as For You, Productivity, and Creativity. Users will be able to manage their Skills and Apps within this section, including adding or removing connections.

One of the final features we’ve discovered is not monumental, yet it could be valuable for users desiring a tidier status bar.

Currently, when Gemini operates in the background under certain conditions, its star icon can clutter the status bar. Google is reportedly developing a toggle that would allow users to hide the status bar icon, providing them more control over its visibility.

This setting would likely integrate with Android’s notification controls, allowing users precise management over the icon’s display, aligning with Google’s broader initiative to enhance control over status bar elements, as seen in a recent Android Canary version.

As always, there is no definitive timeline for when these features will launch. Google may ultimately alter or abandon some changes before they reach users.