Google Gemini now access your WhatsApp chat Text call change smartphone settings
Google has rolled out a new update to its Gemini AI chatbot that changes how it interacts with certain apps on Android phones. In an email sent to Android users last week, the tech giant announced that starting July 7, Gemini will be able to assist with apps like Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities, even if users have disabled Gemini Apps Activity on their device.
The update, however, has raised privacy concerns among users as it allows Gemini to access personal data across messaging apps, including WhatsApp chats, without users opting in.
According to Google’s support page, “your chats are saved in your account for up to 72 hours, whether Gemini Apps activity is on or off.” This means that even if you’ve turned off data sharing settings, Gemini may temporarily store some information for what Google says are safety and performance purposes.
While the update is meant to make Gemini more helpful by enabling it to read messages or send replies across different apps, users are raising flags about the lack of precise controls and transparency.
If you’re not comfortable with Gemini accessing your chats or personal data, here’s how you can limit or turn it off:
Step 1: To turn off Gemini Apps Activity, open the Gemini app on your Android phone and tap on your profile picture
Step 2: Select “Gemini Apps Activity” and toggle the feature off. Do note that Google will still store some data for up to 72 hours even when the Gemini App activity is off.
Step 3: Next, select which apps Gemini can access by clicking on your profile picture in Gemini and going to “Apps.”
Step 4: Select or deselect individual apps that you want Gemini to access.
Additionally, you can disable or uninstall the Gemini app from your phone to stop all interactions.
Also read: Meta reportedly offered over $200 million to poach Apple’s AI engineer