Google rolls out Gemini app updates: Simpler thinking mode, new notification controls
Last Updated: 2026-07-30 08:19:46
Google is rolling out a set of smaller, usability-focused updates to the Gemini app, touching how users select reasoning modes, manage notifications, and navigate Gemini Spark.
Thinking mode gets a one-step selector
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Previously, the Gemini app’s thinking level menu listed both a Standard and an Extended option, even though Standard was already the default mode. Google has now removed that redundant step. Opening the selector shows only Extended Thinking, letting users turn on deeper reasoning directly instead of choosing between two modes when one was already active by default. The change is rolling out widely across Android and the web.
New notification controls on Android
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Gemini is also getting more granular notification settings on Android. Once available, users will find these controls in the account menu, split into four categories: Daily brief, Scheduled actions, Responses for long-running queries, and Product updates and tips. All four are switched on by default, but users can now turn off individual categories without affecting the others, useful for anyone who, for example, checks their Daily brief manually each morning and doesn’t need a separate alert for it. Google says this feature is still rolling out and isn’t yet available to everyone.
Gemini Spark’s navigation gets reorganised
Gemini Spark, Google’s AI agent for automating tasks, is also picking up a redesigned navigation layout on Android. Categories including All, Scheduled, Needs input, In progress, and Completed now sit as tabs along the top of the screen, replacing the previous menu shortcut with a dedicated search icon for finding specific tasks more quickly.
This update lands shortly after Google expanded Gemini Spark access to Google AI Pro subscribers, following its earlier availability to Google AI Ultra users, with the rollout also reaching additional regions recently.
According to 9to5Google, these changes build on a broader Gemini app redesign Google began rolling out several months ago, and the company has continued refining the interface with smaller usability improvements since. As with most Google feature rollouts, these updates are arriving in stages, so availability may vary depending on your device, account, and region.