In version 17.72.13 of its Android app, Google is testing a new option under the name response type that allows users to open the Gemini app directly in chat mode or task mode without having to choose each time.
Response type setting spotted in the Google app beta
What will change in the command bar interface and flexibility features?
Background of the recent redesign and Gemini Spark agent integration
Required subscription terms and the future of the official feature rollout
Frequently asked questions
Response type setting spotted in the Google app beta
It appears that Google is already rethinking the “Chat” and “Tasks” buttons it added to the Gemini app just a few weeks ago. Code in a new beta version of the Google app has pointed to a setting that will allow users to choose one of the two modes as their own default rather than having to choose every time, according to tech publication Android Authority on Monday, November 2.
The Android Authority team discovered this option, which is still in development, inside version 17.72.13 of the Google app for Android. The new code entry, titled “response type,” will allow Gemini users to set “Tasks” or “Chat” as their default mode, so that the app opens directly into that chosen interface. The site stated that it “has no real idea of how serious Google is” about shipping and rolling out this change to the public, and that the company “might just be probing and testing things out at the moment.”
What will change in the command bar interface and flexibility features?
Currently, the Gemini app displays two small buttons directly above the command input bar, and users tap either “Chat” or “Tasks” every time they open the app, as Android Headlines explained. In screenshots shared by Android Authority, these two buttons have completely disappeared; instead, the command bar displays either “Ask a question” or “Describe a task,” depending on the default mode chosen by the user.
Android Authority noted that this new setting looks cleaner and tidier than the current buttons, but is “much less flexible,” since switching between the two modes will require extra effort and steps. Writer Justin Diaz argued on Android Headlines that Google should provide a default mode while simultaneously keeping the two buttons for quick switching, keeping in mind that features discovered in APK teardowns are not always shipped and rolled out to users.
Background of the recent redesign and Gemini Spark agent integration
The “Chat and Tasks” layout arrived in mid-October as part of a redesign that integrated Gemini Spark, Google’s background work agent, into the main chat app, according to 9to5Google. In that update, Spark was removed from the side navigation drawer and a new page called “Scheduled” was added. Google’s official support page states that it renamed the feature because testers “really wanted Gemini to just help them get things done,” and refers to the result as the “Chat vs. Tasks toggle next to the command text box.” The same layout later reached the web version of Gemini.
Required subscription terms and the future of the official feature rollout
Google took some time to settle on these buttons; prior to the official rollout, the company tested a “Set” button and a “Set task” menu option, and Android Authority also spotted a chat-versus-tasks picker being developed for the Gemini floating window. The tasks feature requires a paid subscription to either the Google AI Pro or AI Ultra plan, and Google has not disclosed whether or when the “response type” setting will launch officially.
Frequently asked questions
Question: What is the new change Google is testing in the Gemini app on Android?
Answer: In version 17.72.13, Google is testing a setting called response type that allows the user to set chat mode or task mode as a default that the app opens directly into.
Question: What feedback did experts share regarding the removal of the toggle buttons from the interface?
Answer: Although removing the two buttons makes the command bar look cleaner, it reduces flexibility and makes quick switching between chat and tasks more difficult.
Question: How did task mode appear in the Gemini app during the mid-October update?
Answer: It appeared as a result of integrating the Gemini Spark background agent into the main app and adding the scheduled tasks page in response to testers’ desire to get things done.
Question: Is the tasks feature in Gemini available to all users for free?
Answer: No, using the tasks feature requires an active subscription to either the Google AI Pro or Google AI Ultra plans.