Google is rolling out a new Play Store-connected app for Gemini on Android, letting the chatbot do the app hunting for you. Instead of typing vague search terms and doom-scrolling through descriptions, you can ask for what you want in plain language and jump straight to the right Google Play Store page.
Gemini can help with broad requests like a productivity app for meal planning, but it also goes further: you can ask about a specific app, look for in-app items, or even buy a Google Play gift card without leaving the chat. It is a neat extension of Google’s ”let the assistant do the annoying part” strategy, and it nudges Gemini closer to becoming a shopping and discovery layer rather than just a chatbot with a friendly interface.
How Gemini searches the Play Store
Once the feature is enabled, Gemini suggests a few options based on your request. Tap one and it opens directly to that app’s Play Store page, where you can finish installing it yourself. Google also says Gemini can recognize when you already have the right app installed, which saves users from downloading something they do not need. That is the kind of small convenience that tends to become sticky fast, especially for Android users who already live inside Google’s ecosystem.
- Ask for an app in natural language
- Open directly to the app’s Play Store page
- Search for specific apps or in-app items
- Buy a Google Play gift card inside Gemini
Who can use Gemini Play Store search right now
There are a few catches, because of course there are. Users need to be 18 or older, signed in to Gemini with a personal Google account, and have Keep Activity turned on. Workspace accounts are not supported yet, so this is clearly aimed at consumers first rather than the office crowd Google loves to court elsewhere.
Google first teased the integration at I/O in May, and it fits a broader pattern of wiring Gemini into more of its own services. Gemini Live already taps into Maps, Keep, Tasks, and Calendar, while Gemini can also book rides and place food orders in other apps. The Play Store is just the latest place where Google wants Gemini to act like a front door, not a side feature.
Gemini recommendations are expanding later this year
The real question is whether people will actually use Gemini this way instead of reaching for search. Google seems to think the answer is yes, and it is betting that the convenience of asking once and getting a useful shortlist will beat old-fashioned browsing. Later this year, the same approach will expand to recommending TV shows and movies too, which suggests Gemini is being turned into a universal recommendation layer across Google’s products. The line between assistant and storefront is getting pretty thin.