In July, 2025, Google rolled out a big change to its AI assistant, Gemini. This change gives Gemini the power to access important parts of your phone—like the Phone app, Messages, and even WhatsApp. The problem? Many users didn’t expect this. And even worse, this new access works even if the “Gemini Apps Activity” setting is turned off.
Gemini AI Now Knows More Than You Think
Gemini is deeply connected to the Android system. It’s the AI that helps you do things faster, like sending texts or setting reminders. But now, it’s moving into apps that contain very private information. People are asking: How much does Gemini know? Can it read messages? Can it hear calls?
Google has been sending pop-up notifications to Android phone users. These say that Gemini will soon start “helping” inside your phone’s communication apps. But the word “helping” is too vague. It doesn’t say what exactly Gemini will do. This lack of clear information is making many users feel nervous and confused.
Users Left in the Dark About What’s Really Happening
Many people are wondering: If I turn off certain settings, can Gemini still get into my apps? The answer isn’t simple. Google says you can turn off the feature in your phone’s settings, but it doesn’t clearly show users how to do this. So even though you may think you’ve disabled the feature, Gemini may still work in the background.
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Here’s what we know: Even when Gemini Apps Activity is turned off, the assistant may still help with sending messages, making phone calls, and creating reminders. But if you’ve turned the setting off, the data collected won’t be used to train Google’s AI models. That sounds like good news—but there’s a catch. The data will still be stored for up to 72 hours for things like service improvement and security before it’s deleted. This temporary storage has added to people’s fears.
Why? Because during those 72 hours, your private conversations and actions could still be sitting on Google’s servers. Even if no human reads them, the idea of your personal data being kept at all makes people uncomfortable.
Google’s Explanation Doesn’t Calm the Storm
Google has tried to explain the update. The company says this new feature is meant to help users save time and avoid jumping between apps. Gemini will now be able to do things like sending a message for you or starting a phone call—all just by using your voice or asking a simple question.
Google says users still have control. But that doesn’t seem clear to many. There are no step-by-step guides, no pop-up warnings, and no easy way to see what data Gemini is actually using. Instead, users have to trust Google when it says that Gemini won’t use their data for AI training if the right setting is turned off.
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Let’s also look at the setting itself—Gemini Apps Activity. This option lets Google save what you say to the AI and how it replies. That stored data is then used to make Gemini smarter. If you turn off this setting, Google promises it won’t use the data to train AI. But, again, that data is still stored temporarily. And that temporary window is enough to make privacy-conscious users worry.
Even though Google says this is all about convenience, the reaction online has been filled with worry. In an age where cyberattacks and data leaks are common, people are more aware than ever about their digital privacy. And for some, the promise of a smarter phone assistant simply isn’t worth the trade-off.
As this update takes effect across millions of devices, one thing is clear: Trust, control, and privacy are at the heart of the storm surrounding Gemini AI’s latest feature.
