Gemini in your car can now use your email, photos and maps

Google's Gemini assistant can now answer driving questions using your own information. The update is available worldwide on Android Auto and on cars with Google built-in. A feature called Personal Intelligence lets Gemini pull details from your Google accounts, so you can ask a short question and get a useful answer without explaining the background.

What changed

Gemini first arrived in Android Auto, Google's driving app for your phone, as a replacement for Google Assistant. In April, it also became a built-in tool in cars from makers such as Acura, General Motors and Ford, among others. The new part is Personal Intelligence. Once you allow it, Gemini can look through Gmail, Calendar, Photos, Maps, YouTube and Search.

What it can do

The idea is to skip the step where you tell the assistant what you are talking about. Examples from the report:

• Ask for your flight gate and takeoff time, which Gemini can find in your email.
• Ask to be taken to your doctor's appointment, and Gemini works out where that is from your connected info.
• Name a place you photographed recently, and Gemini can find it from the photo.
• Ask to go to a coffee shop you talked about with Gemini the day before.

Your privacy controls

The feature is optional. You can turn off Gemini's connection to your apps at any time. In cars with Google built-in, personal answers are shared only when you are in the car with your phone connected. That matters if a passenger or a borrowed car is involved.

If you leave Personal Intelligence off, Gemini still works. You can use GPS, play music, make phone calls and ask questions. The difference is that the answers are not tailored to you.

What is not known yet

The material does not say what the update costs or which phones and car models get it first. It also does not say how quickly it reaches every driver. The writer at Tom's Guide has not tried it in a car yet, so the report describes the features rather than reviewing them.

Who it is for

Anyone who drives with Android Auto or a car with Google built-in and wants to keep their hands on the wheel. The trade is simple: more helpful answers in exchange for letting Gemini read parts of your Google accounts. You decide, and you can change your mind later.