Your preferred Google Assistant capabilities are back on Android thanks to Gemini's latest extension

You should be aware that your phone is set to get a significant update if you haven't been using Google Assistant since Gemini took over.

The fact that Gemini on Android lacks several of the fundamental features of Google Assistant, such as the ability to set alarms and timers and manage media, is one of the main grievances.

That's what a new "Utilities" extension seeks to address. This feature allows you to instruct Gemini to perform specific tasks on your device, as Google says.

It can be used to open websites, take screenshots and photographs, control media playback, browse or search for screenshots in Pixel Screenshots, set and manage alarms and timers in your clock app, and more. The complete list is available on Google's help page.

Gemini can even manage several requests at once, such as "take a photo with a 10s timer" or "Turn my media volume and notification volume to [percentage] and turn on battery saver."

A number of lock-screen-specific functions are also planned, including the option to restart, check the battery level of your phone, turn on and off your flashlight, turn on and off Bluetooth, and create or quiet alarms and timers.

Google listed a few things that Gemini isn't yet able to do: use Find My Device, switch the language of media, locate and open particular pages on a website, alter Gemini's language, and turn closed captioning on or off.

You must use Gemini as your primary phone assistant in order to access the utilities, which are exclusively accessible through the Gemini mobile app for Android smartphones. You should see it shortly if you haven't already, as Google is releasing it gradually.

To find out if you have utilities, tap the upper right corner of your profile picture and search under "Extensions."