Google is ramping up efforts to make AI overviews more comprehensive and visible in search results. As it looks to evolve the overviews into more elaborate responses, the search giant might also include them in search results on mobile apps on Android and iOS.
Google is reportedly experimenting with a shortcut within its Android app for the expected “AI Mode,” which is currently being tested internally. Android Authority reverse-engineered the WIP feature and discovered an AI mode shortcut that sits right under the search bar.
This shortcut replaces the current icons for image/audio search or translation shortcuts from Google Lens. However, separate icons for voice search and Google Lens appear in the new interface, suggesting Google may not do away with Lens (and replace it with a Gemini-powered image search) immediately.
Notably, the icon for the new mode is identical to what Google uses for Gemini Live — the interactive and conversational mode for its AI chatbot, Android Authority spotted references in the app’s internal code, calling it “Search Live.” This suggests the feature might have a purpose dedicated to Google search primarily.
AI Mode could change how we Google
With AI chatbots slowly creeping up as the conversational alternatives to traditional web search, Google can’t possibly be missing out on the opportunity. Besides letting us search for information through its own Gemini chatbot, Google is sliding AI into web search, and the purported AI mode is being considered an extension of AI overviews.
Based on leaked screenshots, the AI mode would offer more descriptive responses on top of search results, similar to responses in Gemini. Instead of listing the top results from websites, the AI mode could simply collate information from different web pages while adding a link to the source. It would also offer the option to ask follow-up questions while occupying the entire first fold of the search results.
The feature is currently being evaluated internally at Google, which could translate to some modifications when it reaches the public. With search ads being Google’s primary source of revenue, it would also be interesting to witness how it accommodates them in the AI mode — especially if it is set as the default search interface.
Tushar is a freelance writer at Digital Trends and has been contributing to the Mobile Section for the past three years…
Google brings second-gen AI models to the Gemini mobile app
Earlier today, Google made a few notable AI announcements, at a time when the tech industry is peeling the layers of China’s DeepSeek AI and the search giant is staring at anti-trust heat in China. The latest from Google is an experimental version of Gemini 2.0 Pro, which is claimed to be the company’s latest and greatest so far.
“It has the strongest coding performance and ability to handle complex prompts, with better understanding and reasoning of world knowledge, than any model we’ve released so far,” says the company. This one raises the prompt context window to 2 million tokens, allowing it to ingest and comprehend massive inputs with ease.
Read more
Google Photos is getting new sorting features to cut out chaos
The Google Photos app on Android has been updated with tools to organize the default view more effectively. Google has added fresh options in the app to hide any automatically saved media, such as screenshots or imaged and videos shared through messaging apps such as WhatsApp, bringing about a meaningful change for those who use Google Photos as the primary app to view and sort images and videos on their Android devices. This addition could be a part of the larger redesign that Google Photos may be getting soon.
With this update, Google has expanded sorting features and clubbed them under “Photos view,” which replaces the earlier option to “personalize your grid.” Android Authority first spotted these new settings, which bring options to “show content from other apps.”
Read more
Google completely stole Samsung’s thunder at Unpacked
At its first Unpacked event of the year, Samsung talked extensively about the Gemini-driven AI capabilities on their phones. And for a moment, I was excited, until I came across a Google press release.
Of the two major features discussed on stage, one of them is already coming to Pixels, and the other one will be available on iPhones, Androids, and the desktop web.
Read more
