Google is now expanding Gemini to Android 10 and 11, supercharging older devices with AI capabilities. Every other flagship or mid-ranger these days comes with some sort of AI capabilities built-in. And, that’s fair enough for companies to jump in this race since AI is a hot topic these days.
Earlier this year when Google added Gemini to Android devices, it said the app would work on Android 12 and later. Back then, the app update also mentioned that Android 12 is the minimum required OS version to run the app. However, this has changed now.
Google makes the Gemini app available for devices running on Android 10 and 11
An X/Twitter user named Sumanta Das first spotted the change yesterday. The user mentioned the app is now usable on their device which supposedly runs on Android 10 or 11. Google hasn’t been vocal about the recent change. However, it silently updated the app details page in the Play Store. Now, the minimum OS requirement to use the Google Gemini app on that page says “Android 10 and up.”
So, you can now install the latest version of the Gemini app for Android (v1.0.626720042) on older devices running on Android 10 or 11 from the Google Play Store.
9to5Google also confirmed the change. It added that the Gemini app now works on Google Pixel devices running on Android 10. Not to forget, you might also want to update the Play Services and Google app for it to work. Worth noting that the app experience is no different from using Gemini on Android 12 or newer devices.
Now that Google has decided to add AI experience to older devices, Pixel 2 XL users who can’t officially upgrade to Android 12 can also enjoy the AI features on their devices. One major benefit of having Gemini in older Android devices is that it eliminates the reliance on Google Assistant. The tech giant is not only pushing app updates but also adding useful features like the ability to read PDF files to Gemini soon.
