New Feature / Update: Gemini UI Automation Framework
What is it?
Google just dropped something that actually moves the needle. They’ve built a UI automation framework that lets Gemini (their AI assistant) do multi-step tasks across your apps without needing developers to build custom integrations first.
Here’s the practical bit: instead of opening five different apps and manually clicking through screens, you long press your power button on a Galaxy S26 or Pixel 10, tell Gemini what you need, and it executes the whole thing. Right now it’s in beta for food delivery, grocery shopping, and rideshare. You could say “order a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese for my mum and a margherita for my sister” and Gemini handles the whole order across whatever app you use. Or coordinate a multi-stop Uber for your team. Or reorder your last Woolworths shop without touching the app.
What makes this different from the hype we’ve been hearing? It’s not waiting for every single app to build “AI integrations.” The framework works with apps as they exist today. Zero code required from developers. That’s the actual shift.
Why does it matter?
Two things:
For regular people: You stop being a task manager between your own apps. I was at a cafe last week watching someone toggle between three apps to book a rideshare, add a stop, and pay. Then she got charged twice. Gemini handling that context? That friction just evaporates. The AI understands what you’ve already done in other apps and uses that information without you explaining it twice.
For product teams: You don’t need to wait for engineering sprints to “become AI-ready.” Google’s doing the heavy lifting on the platform side. Your app already works with Gemini. You’re not racing against competitors to add AI features first. The competitive advantage shifts from “did you integrate AI” to “is your app so intuitive that AI can actually use it smoothly.”
Key facts
- Started as beta on Galaxy S26 and select Pixel 10 devices in the US and South Korea
- Initial categories: food delivery, grocery, rideshare
- Launch method: long press power button, then use Gemini app
- No developer work needed to support it (that’s the whole point)
- Google plans to expand AppFunctions and UI automation details later in 2026
The real talk
This sits in the broader shift happening right now. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang said “the ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here” at CES earlier this year, and honestly, this Gemini move feels like the software version of that statement. We’re past “chat interfaces that give you information.” Now it’s “AI that actually does things in your ecosystem.”
The thing that gets me? Most of this works today. Not in 2030. Not “coming soon.” Google’s testing it on actual phones with real apps right now. That’s the difference between announcement noise and actual capability.
If you’re building an app, you’re probably wondering if you need to do something special. Answer: not yet. But start thinking about whether your UI is clear enough that an AI agent could navigate it without instructions. That’s becoming the baseline question.
