Google Gemini Will Now Support Older Smartphones: Report

Google’s Gemini app is expanding its compatibility with older Android operating systems, as per a report. Some users have recently highlighted that the Gemini app became available on devices running Android 10. This is a new development as the older versions of the app only supported Android 12 and newer. The users have also said that the app is running without any lag and glitches. Notably, the tech giant is said to be working on new features for its Gemini for Android platform. Some of the new features include a floating window over background apps, real-time generation, and prompt scheduling.

The development was spotted by a couple of tipsters on X (formerly known as Twitter) and was reported by 9to5Google. User Sumanta Das found that the Gemini app was “functioning flawlessly” on his Android 10 device. This was later corroborated by tipster and APK Mirror founder Artem Russakovskii who said in a post, “Sumanta is right. The latest Gemini release is the first version that supports Android 10 and 11. All previous versions (except somehow the very first one which was Android 6+) were Android 12+.”

It was further confirmed by the publication which tested the Gemini app on an Android 10-powered Pixel phone and found that the functionality of the app was exactly the same as its Android 14 counterpart. Interestingly, Google did not make any announcement about an expansion to older devices, but it appears that the tech giant wants to bring more devices under its AI umbrella.

Notably, since the Gemini app’s functionality has not been impacted, it should be able to be used as the on-device assistant as well, replacing Google Assistant. However, it is unclear whether the AI Assistant features are also the same as newer Android versions.

The current Gemini AI Assistant is not very capable. While it can handle all the generative AI tasks and can manage basic on-device functionalities, it does not have access to third-party apps. So, if you want to send a message via WhatsApp using Gemini, it will revert to Google Assistant to complete this feature. An earlier report highlighted that the company was working on improving the AI Assistant. In particular, Gemini might soon be able to play music on devices from third-party apps such as Spotify and YouTube Music.