Android 17, Gemini 'Deep Think' Unveiled
Google's mobile ecosystem is getting a major update, with details emerging about Android 17 and a "Deep Think" upgrade for its Gemini AI assistant. Android 17 will bring UI and privacy changes, while the new Gemini can better synthesize data from multiple apps to automate complex workflows for users.
The "Deep Think" version of Gemini is an upgrade to its specialized reasoning mode, designed to tackle complex challenges in science, research, and engineering. This advanced AI is being offered to Google AI Ultra subscribers and is also being made available to select researchers and enterprises through the Gemini API. Gemini "Deep Think" has demonstrated significant advancements in reasoning, achieving a score of 84.6% on the ARC-AGI-2 benchmark, which tests genuine intelligence over memorization. The model has also reached gold-medal level performance at the 2025 International Math Olympiad and the International Physics and Chemistry Olympiads. For Android 17, a key new feature is cross-device app handoff, allowing users to start a task on one Android device and seamlessly continue it on another, similar to Apple's Handoff functionality. The update also introduces "Bubbles," which lets users turn any application into a floating window for easier multitasking by long-pressing the app's icon. On the privacy front, Android 17 will incorporate a new system-level contact picker that grants apps temporary, read-only access to specific contact information, rather than full contact list permissions. Additionally, it expands SMS OTP protection to all messages containing one-time passcodes to better prevent hijacking.
