Ask Gemini in Gmail may finally get a long-overdue design revamp

TL;DR Gemini in Gmail could get a major design overhaul in a future update to match the standalone Gemini app. We found a floating Gemini overlay in the app, along with voice input and a plus menu with options to manage your sources or add files from Drive. Some of these options are already available through the web version of Gemini in Gmail, but this early development suggests it could soon expand to phones…

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Nov 3, 2026 — 9:40 AM ET

- Gemini in Gmail could get a major design overhaul in a future update to match the standalone Gemini app.

- We found a floating Gemini overlay in the app, along with voice input and a plus menu with options to manage your sources or add files from Drive.

- Some of these options are already available through the web version of Gemini in Gmail, but this early development suggests it could soon expand to phones.

Gemini in Gmail has evolved significantly since its arrival, and Google’s email client has also added other Gemini-based features, such as Gmail Live, in that time. However, the core Gemini experience in Gmail, triggered via the dedicated sparkle icon next to the search bar or directly from an email, hasn’t caught up with the web version yet. But a future Gmail update could change that.

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In version 2026.10.26.1009152371.release of the Gmail app, we have enabled a refreshed Ask Gemini interface that appears largely identical to the Gemini overlay on your Android phone.

A pill-shaped floating overlay replaces the bottom sheet interface and frees up space at the bottom of the screen. We found that the floating overlay could be expanded using the grab handle, while the current Gemini experience in Gmail doesn’t offer this level of flexibility.

The placeholder text also changes to Ask Gemini, much like the standalone Gemini app, while the overlay adds buttons for the plus menu and voice input. The latter works as expected and includes a stop button, while the plus menu shows two options: Add from Drive and Gemini search settings.

A Google support page for the web version of Gemini in Gmail explains Add from Drive as a means to “use specific files to write, edit, or refine content.”

Gemini search settings allow you to “select the locations where Gemini can proactively search for content related to your prompt,” per the same support page. In the last screenshot above, we see options to choose from Drive, Gmail, and Web, with dedicated toggles for each.

Since we had to manually enable this redesigned Gemini interface in Gmail, it’s anybody’s guess as to when it will be widely available. However, given that it would bring parity with the standalone Gemini app, we hope this visual upgrade isn’t too far away.