Gemini in Android Auto can now use your Gmail and Calendar

Google started rolling out Personal Intelligence for Gemini in Android Auto on October 20. With your permission, the in-car assistant can now draw on Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Photos, Maps, YouTube and Search to answer questions. According to Google's announcement, cars with Google built-in will follow "in the coming months." The rollout covers eligible personal accounts for users aged 18 and older, but a footnote excludes the European Economic Area, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

What Gemini can do with your data on the road

Google gives several examples. On the way to the airport, you can ask for your gate and whether the flight is on time, and Gemini finds the confirmation email and answers both questions at once. A request to drive to your doctor's appointment pulls the address from your calendar. Gemini is also supposed to find a car wash from a photo you took last week or suggest a restaurant along your route that fits your usual preferences. If you have already turned on Personal Intelligence in the Gemini app on your phone, it carries over to Android Auto automatically.

Off by default

No apps are connected until you turn the feature on. You enable it in your Gemini settings, pick which services to connect and can switch it off there at any time. In cars with Google built-in, Google says personalized answers only appear when you are in the car with your phone connected. Connected cars don't always work that way, as our guide on apps from a car's previous owner shows. Navigation, music, calls and general questions still work without Personal Intelligence, but the answers aren't tailored to you.

When Google launched Personal Intelligence in January, it said Gemini "doesn't train directly on your Gmail inbox or Google Photos library." Google trains on limited information instead, such as your prompts in Gemini and the model's responses. Our guide explains how to opt out of AI training at Google and other companies.

Europe is left out for now

Gemini itself works in Android Auto in Europe, just without access to your Google apps. Google hasn't explained why the feature skips the region. Its Personal Intelligence overview page lists the same exclusions for the Gemini app, where the feature is still described as a beta for personal accounts. Workspace business, enterprise and education accounts can't use it either. On the iPhone, Gemini was missing from the list of AI assistants in CarPlay as of September.

I write about IT security and artificial intelligence. Cybersecurity is one of my regular topics, among others for Golem.de. At Notebookcheck, my focus is on practical AI for everyday users. I have worked hands-on with AI for years, most recently with a focus on AI agents and their use in everyday work, and I test tools and models myself rather than just reading about them.