Google's Project Astra demonstrated significant advancements at I/O 2025, showcasing a nearly two-minute prototype that illustrated the potential for Gemini to control Android devices. The demo highlighted features such as retrieving web content, playing YouTube videos, searching emails, and making phone calls.
In October, a preview of the Computer Use model was made available to developers, enabling Gemini to interact with user interfaces in a manner similar to human behavior. Although currently optimized for web browsers, Google indicated a strong potential for mobile user interface control.
While Apple has introduced voice capabilities in Siri to perform actions across apps seamlessly, Google has yet to provide specific details on a comparable system for Android. Historically, Google has aimed to enhance user interaction, as seen in the 2019 launch of the new Google Assistant focused on on-device voice processing.
As these developments unfold, the future of mobile digital assistance may hinge on how effectively these technologies integrate into everyday applications and user experiences.