Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- Google has been working on adding the ability to minimize the Gemini overlay.
- Users are now starting to see the option on their devices.
- It appears Google is gradually rolling out the new button.
While it’s not necessarily a problem, the Gemini overlay taking over the screen isn’t exactly ideal for multitaskers. Since it locks you in, you can’t really do anything else on your phone until you’re done with the chatbot. Last year, we spotted evidence that Google was working on fixing this oversight with a minimize function. Now it appears Google has started rolling out its solution.
Users are reporting (1, 2, 3) that they are starting to see a new minimize button for the Gemini overlay. Based on the examples, the UI looks similar to the design we discovered in June, which adds a dedicated “Minimize Gemini” button that stays visible throughout your conversation with the AI. In the first version we saw, there was no button, which could have kept a lot of users from discovering the option.
The new minimize function allows users to reduce the size of the overlay. That means you’ll be able to open and scroll through apps as Gemini processes your prompts in the background. When minimized, the overlay collapses into a bubble with the Gemini logo. You’ll also see a box of text next to the circle, informing you that you can tap to expand the overlay, drag the bubble to move it to another area, or dismiss Gemini.
Based on the small number of reports, it seems that the minimize button is not widely available quite yet. Google appears to be taking a gradual approach to the rollout.
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