On the contrary, it was a pleasure listening to a recap of the songs I played and the artists I listened to most throughout the year.
Google has also launched many year-end recaps for specific apps in the past few years. The ones on YouTube and YouTube Music were my favorite ones last year.
Regardless of who does it best, it’s hard to find those year-end recaps in the middle or later in the year. But since Gemini can connect to many Google apps, I thought, why not leave the job to Google’s AI tool?
The results were surprising. Gemini created the best “year in review” for many of the apps I use daily. Here is how I made it work.
A simple Gemini prompt is all you need
Gemini can seamlessly connect with Workspace apps, its search and media apps, and Google Home. However, this isn’t the default setup for anyone who tries Gemini for the first time. You’ll have to do it through the “Extensions” or “Connected Apps” feature.
I integrated these apps with Gemini months ago, but generating a year-in-review using the connections never crossed my mind until last week. I was a bit skeptical about how it’d work, but it only took a few simple prompts.
In Gemini, I typed a prompt asking it to analyze my Google Calendar events from the past year and then write a year-in-review highlighting what I spent most of my time on.
In its answer, Gemini categorized my activities into different groups and highlighted some of the best moments, mentioning when they happened last year in bullet points. Gemini was spot on with the answer.
I also asked a couple of follow-up questions. In my next prompt, I asked it to suggest ideas to improve my routine for the coming years. Gemini gave me some great suggestions for changes I can make to my already-wonderful set of routine activities.
I keep a detailed life log using the Google Keep app. So, in my next prompt, I asked it to review my notes from the past year, combine them with memories from Google Photos, and write a highly personalized year-in-review highlighting the goals I pursued, problems I repeatedly faced, and successes I celebrated.
Gemini was at it again, providing me with a detailed answer. This time, the answer was even more satisfying than the one for Google Calendar. It summarized most everything that occupied my mind throughout last year, from recurring problems to evolving interests.
Next, I typed another prompt asking Gemini to create a detailed report. It created a Google Docs file that included the answer and other personal details, and a small note towards the end.
Gemini’s responses are text-heavy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t create a visually appealing recap. All I did was ask it to turn the report into a visually engaging presentation. In response, Gemini generated a few slides in a few seconds.
The slides may not be as good-looking as Spotify Wrapped, but they look better than those text-heavy documents. I can visit those recaps, as they all stay with me in Google Docs or Google Slides until I press delete.
That’s the kind of recaps I want from app developers.
Gemini works better than traditional recap features
I may continue to enjoy recaps from individual entertainment apps, but for everything else, Gemini is the best AI tool to generate year-end recaps. Its biggest advantage is that it’s not limited to one app.
You can generate those recaps for multiple apps that are connected to Gemini from a single place. Not only that, but you can ask follow-up questions to highlight your achievements and setbacks and give suggestions on how to improve in the upcoming years.
Gemini’s year-end recaps win because they surprisingly have a “human touch” that I haven’t seen in any other year-end wraps. Gemini didn’t just summarize, it helped me understand.
Gemini’s year-end recap can actually help me grow
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I do reflect upon my past to get better in the future. However, it’s easier said than done, especially without any external help.
Before Gemini, I used to make notes towards the end of the year about what I achieved and where I failed. I could manage to recall only the obvious milestones. I couldn’t paint the true “complete picture of the year” in my mind.
I no longer have to worry about recalling everything, because Gemini not only takes care of that but also helps me improve.
