Google Chat may soon summarize conversations for you on demand

Google Chat new logo
(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Google could be gearing up to introduce a new AI feature for Google Chat on Android, allowing users to request quick summaries of conversations.
  • References to a feature named Smart Summary were spotted in the Google Chat app's code, indicating the use of AI to provide on-demand conversation summaries.
  • Activating summaries in Chat appears straightforward, requiring users to long-press a conversation and likely tap a button.

Google seems to be preparing to roll out a new Gemini-powered feature that will allow you to ask for a quick summary of any conversation in Google Chat on Android, catching you up on important parts of a long conversation without needing to scroll through everything.

The folks at PiunikaWeb found some interesting stuff while digging into the Chat app for Android. The outlet spotted mentions of a new feature called Smart Summary, which uses AI to summarize conversations on demand.

While Chat already gives automated summaries, it looks like users will soon have the option to generate summaries manually for specific threads whenever they want.

Right now, Chat summaries might miss out on key points. But, with the potential on-demand summary feature, you'd be able to step in and create summaries yourself whenever you want, putting you in control of what's highlighted.

The Gmail app already gained Gemini-powered summaries not too long ago, so it makes sense for the Chat app to get in on the action too.

According to what PiunikaWeb found in the app's code, activating these summaries in Chat will be a breeze. You'll just need to long-press a conversation and probably hit a button.

It's important to keep in mind that these summaries are whipped up by an AI model, and as with any AI, there might be some limitations. Google Chat will make sure users know that these summaries won't always hit the mark and that they aren't Google's opinions, which is a pretty standard disclaimer for AI these days.

Furthermore, users will have the chance to give feedback on the summaries, which will help Google fine-tune Gemini's accuracy and effectiveness over time.

Being able to summarize chats whenever we want is a great new feature for the app. With AI summaries already rolling out for Gmail on the web and soon on Android, it's only a matter of time before it expands to all the apps in the Google Workspace suite.

Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.

  • spARTacus
    Seems to me we are headed towards even more people paying even less attention to what's actually going on, depending instead on others or AI for summary interpretations.
    Reply