Google launched the Gemini app on Android in February, along with a complete rebranding of AI. (Gemini used to be called Bard, if you remember.) With it, you can access Google's AI and do the general chatbot stuff you'd expect from generating AI models, plus you can optionally set Gemini to The default assistant for your phone.
Until now, however, many Android phones have been locked out of the Gemini app, as Google rolled out strict operating system minimum requirements for the experience: You can't use Gemini unless your smartphone is running Android 12 or higher. app. You can still visit Gemini's website at gemini.google.com, but to use any of the phone-level features (including, of course, replacing Google Assistant with Gemini), you'll need to upgrade your phone. If your current equipment is working fine, it may not be worth the cost of admission.
But the good news is: that's all changing. According to Android Authority, Google has quietly lowered the minimum Android operating system requirements for Gemini apps from Android 12 and above to Android 10 and above. AssembleDebug first spotted the change in the latest version of the app uploaded to APKMirror and highlighted it to Android Authority. But now, the Gemini app's official Play Store listing also says it "requires Android 10 and above." To be clear, Google's official support page for the Gemini app still says it requires Android 12 and above (in addition to 4GB of RAM, no less), but that could change, too.
This issue does not affect most Pixel devices as Google supports Android 12 starting with Pixel 3 and above. But if you have a Pixel 2, or an older Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Nokia, or any other smartphone stuck on Android 10 or Android 11, you can at least give Gemini a try on your device without feeling left behind .
