Google is retiring Gemini Gems and replacing them with skills

Google is retiring Gemini Gems, the custom helpers many people set up inside its AI assistant, and replacing them with a new feature called skills. The first change lands on November 17, 2026. Google says it will move existing Gems over automatically, but simple ones are the ones most likely to survive that move intact.

What changed

On November 17, Gems become read-only for personal accounts, which generally means you can still see them but not change them. Skills take over the same job. The big difference is that a skill works in any chat. Typing a slash and the skill's name calls it up, even in the middle of a conversation. Google plans to switch that slash to an at sign later.

Skills can also run on their own if their instructions include a "When to use" section. They can be stacked too, so one chat can use an editing skill and a research skill together.

Who it affects

People 18 and older with personal Google accounts go first. Work and school accounts get more time. For Google Workspace users, Gems move into the Settings panel on November 17 but keep working until at least March 1, 2027. Education users will not see Gems removed before June 1, 2027. Google has not announced a date for users under 18.

Where the move gets tricky

Plain text Gems should transfer easily. Gems with supporting files are harder. Skills have an Add files button, but it suits a few files at a time, not large batches. Google has also delayed skills in Workspace apps like Docs, Sheets, Slides and Studio, with no new date given.

There is an upside. Skills are built on an open standard called SKILL.md, so they should be transferable to other AI tools such as Claude and ChatGPT. The Android Police writer who tested the switch moved several key Gems over the past two weeks and said it has worked well.

What to do

The steps in the alert box above walk through rebuilding a Gem as a skill. The short version: pick the Gems that matter, recreate them, and test them before November 17 rather than trusting the automatic move.

What happens next

Workspace and education dates are not final, so business and school users should watch for updates from Google. The timing for skills in Docs, Sheets, Slides and Studio is also unknown.