Files by Google gets a long-awaited Gemini feature

Google is constantly improving the Gemini AI experience by integrating its capabilities across various screens on your smartphone. In August, we saw the introduction of “Ask about this screen” and “Ask about this video” chips to accompany the Gemini overlay, with the latter answering any specific questions you have about a YouTube video. These features were originally previewed during I/O 2024 in May, along with an “Ask about this PDF” functionality to provide answers about lengthy PDF files. This particular feature is finally making its way to users of Google’s file manager app for Android.

The inclusion of the Ask me about this PDF chip is part of the Files by Google update that rolled out last week, at least according to the changelog published on the Play Store listing. Google also pointed out at the time that this option “will be rolling out soon.” That appears to be happening at long last, based on a tip received by Android Police contributor Mishaal Rahman.

Posting on the r/Android subreddit, Rahman said the feature is now rolling out to users, though it’s not available to all Gemini users. As Google noted in the Play Store listing, Ask me about this PDF requires a Gemini Advanced subscription, setting Gemini as the default assistant on your Android phone, and a device running Android 15.

Summarize lengthy PDFs in an instant

The Gemini overlays for Ask about this PDF and Ask about this video

Discord user Rob was kind enough to share a screenshot with Rahman to show how it works. Unlike the Ask about this screen option we mentioned above, the chip for Ask about this PDF is centered above the Gemini overlay, similar to YouTube’s Gemini integration. When available, users should be able to find this new PDF chip by triggering the Gemini overlay — either by holding the power button or with the “Hey Google” hotword — while viewing a PDF file in Files by Google.

Unfortunately, this new chip isn’t widely available yet, and I’m not seeing it while activating the Gemini overlay inside a PDF. Instead, I’m being greeted by the familiar Ask about this screen chip in PDFs, which captures a screenshot of whatever’s on the screen but misses the rest of the pages that may exist in a PDF.

Hopefully, Google won’t wait too long to make the Ask about this PDF chip available more widely. A feature like this has the potential to make life much easier for users and organizations that have to go through several documents a day. This PDF-related addition comes on the heels of the Files by Google getting its own PDF viewer earlier this week.