Google Gemini Expands Access to Users’ Apps and Personal Data

Google is expanding the ability of Gemini to work across the company’s wider ecosystem of applications. Depending on the services and permissions enabled, Gemini can use information from products such as Gmail, Google Drive, Photos, Calendar and other connected services to provide more personalized answers and assistance. Google’s own documentation confirms that connected apps can provide Gemini with access to relevant user content.

The deeper integration means Gemini can potentially perform tasks using information that would otherwise require users to open several different applications. For example, connected Google Workspace services can allow Gemini to work with content from Gmail, Drive, Docs, Calendar, Keep and Tasks. This turns Gemini from a standalone chatbot into something closer to an AI assistant operating across a user’s digital ecosystem.

Android users have also seen Gemini gain broader connections with phone applications. Google has enabled Gemini to interact with services including Phone, Messages and WhatsApp, while users can manage these connections through Gemini’s app settings. This has generated privacy discussions because the assistant can potentially process information from services that contain highly personal communications.

Google emphasizes that connected-app data remains subject to the relevant service policies and the Google Privacy Policy. Users can control which services Gemini is allowed to access, while Workspace administrators can manage access to connected applications for organizational accounts. This means the headline claim that Gemini can simply access “everything” is misleading—the actual access depends on the account, device, connected apps and permissions available to the user.

The development nevertheless represents an important shift in how AI assistants are evolving. Instead of answering questions in isolation, Gemini is increasingly designed to understand information across multiple parts of a user’s digital life. That could make AI considerably more useful for productivity, but it also makes privacy, permissions and data control increasingly important. As AI becomes more deeply integrated into everyday services, users will need clear controls over exactly what information their assistants can access.