Google released the first Android 16 developer preview earlier this week, and astute observers are already discovering interesting tidbits, including one that hints at a much more useful future for Google’s AI assistant. In Android Authorityabout which Mishaal Rahman writes a mysterious new API in Android 16 called ‘app functions’, which appears to give Gemini Assistant agent-like capabilities to take action in apps. It sounds very similar to the improved ‘app intents’ that Apple supports in iOS 18, and it’s exactly the kind of thing that could make AI assistants much more useful than they are in their current state.
A page on Google’s developer site describes an app feature as “a specific piece of functionality that an app provides to the system. These functionalities can be integrated into various system functions.” Really clears things up. But Rahman points to a specific example hidden in the documentation that sheds some light. It describes how an app developer could use app features to expose certain actions to the system – in this case, ordering food. Since this feature is available for Gemini, you may be able to place an order at your local Thai restaurant without having to open the DoorDash app. Pretty neat.
Apple is working on a similar approach for a smarter assistant. One of the promises for the smarter Siri we’ll supposedly get in iOS 18 is that it can take action for you in apps. By updating the app intent framework, Apple has created a way for developers to expose “food ordering” features to Siri. According to rumors, we probably won’t see that update until spring 2025.
‘Doing things for you’ was the whole promise of smart assistants from the beginning, but that has only very recently become a reality. Gemini can access information in certain apps with your permission, but currently this is mostly limited to searching things like Gmail and Google Maps. And Siri’s biggest update yet in iOS 18 added a ChatGPT extension so you can ask more complicated questions, but it still falls short when it comes to “taking action.” Now both platforms appear to be laying the groundwork for better assistants – and 2025 could be a very interesting year for AI on smartphones.