Google: Unified Tools + Mac Client
Google expanded the Gemini API so built‑in and custom tools can be combined in a single request, and began private testing of a Gemini Mac client with ‘Desktop Intelligence’ for screen‑aware assistance. That reduces orchestration complexity and creates new vectors for desktop‑level observability and system integration. ( )
Google’s developer post dated March 17, 2026 introduces “context circulation” and explicit tool response identifiers as part of the Gemini tooling update, and extends Maps grounding to the Gemini 3 model family. (blog.google)) The API docs show the new tool-combination flow is currently a Preview and limited to Gemini 3 models, and they require an include_server_side_tool_invocations flag to circulate built-in tool calls and responses into the model’s context. (ai.google.dev)) Every tool call and tool response now carries a unique id to improve debuggability in asynchronous or parallel executions, with Google recommending returning the matching id in the functionResponse when reconstructing history. (blog.google)) Google’s Interactions API (Beta) moves optional conversation state to the server, adding background execution and native agent orchestration features intended to reduce client-side history management and simplify long‑running, tool‑heavy workflows. (ai.google.dev)) Bloomberg reports Google has begun privately seeding an early Gemini Mac app to consumer beta testers as of March 19, 2026, with the app internally codenamed “Janus” and offering image/video generation, music, tables/charts, personalized conversation history and media analysis in the preview build. (bloomberg.com)) The Mac build contains a capability labeled “Desktop Intelligence” that, according to app code and tester messages, can access screen context and pull content from other macOS apps such as Calendar when the feature is enabled. (bloomberg.com)) Google told testers the release seed includes only core features at this stage and declined to provide a public release date, while outside reporting notes the start of private testing as a signal the company is preparing for a broader rollout. (bloomberg.com))
