What you need to know
- Google announces that Gemini is capable of handling tasks for users on the Galaxy S26 series, such as ordering food for you or hailing a ride-share.
- Gemini’s model in Circle to Search advances with “multi-object recognition” for fashion, while also letting users quickly activate virtual try-on.
- Security and privacy step up on the Galaxy S26 series, as Google’s Scam Detection arrives for calls and texts.
Samsung and Google’s partnership continues with the Galaxy S26, as the two reveal what’s next for Gemini on the newest flagships.
A press release to Android Central shared details about the many ways Google’s AI is rolling out on the Galaxy S26 to help the user experience. Gemini leads the charge with the ability to handle and organize a user’s to-do list. This ability is starting as a beta, per Google’s statement, on “select” devices, like the Galaxy S26 series. According to its post, users can long-press the phone’s side button to activate Gemini and begin “offloading tedious tasks” to the AI.
Google states that if users choose to have Gemini at the ready for this, the AI will run in the background, and that “your phone is still yours to use.” In its example, the user asks Gemini to look at a group text chat, figure out the order everyone wants, and then act on that through Grubhub. Google adds that users will receive live notifications, detailing the AI’s progress on the task they’ve given it.
“Booking a ride home” or “reordering” your favorite meal are extra examples of how Gemini can help users. This is arriving first in the U.S. and Korea.
Circle to Search is another feature that’s getting a little TLC. Specifically, Google states this handy search feature is receiving “multi-object recognition.” Google uses fashion as a prime example of how this will work in practice. The software can now “instantly identify visual matches for every piece,” from the top to the footwear present. Google’s AI will surface additional pieces of inspiration for the user. Moreover, the virtual try-on feature merges with Circle to Search in this instance, letting users see immediately how something would look on them during their deep dive.
Confidence is key
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The final major update is for Android’s security and privacy on the Galaxy S26 series. Google states that it’s looking to help foster “peace of mind” by rolling out “on-device intelligence” for “proactive call protections.” Leveraging Gemini, Google’s Scam Detection is now available on the Galaxy S26 series through the Samsung Phone app. This feature works just like how you’d expect it to on a Pixel. If the system detects that an incoming call is a scam, it will alert you via an “instant audio and haptic” notification.
The company adds that the AI’s work to detect if a call is a scam or not is done on-device to help protect your privacy. Moreover, the “phone conversation processed by Scam Detection is neither stored on your device, nor shared outside of the device.” Users must activate Scam Detection via their settings; however, Google states you’re always in control and can deactivate this whenever.
Additionally, Google says it’s extending its support for detecting scams in text messages to the Galaxy S26 series, as well. The AI detects specific “conversational patterns” that are typically deployed to hook users into scams and alerts you to them before disaster. Many of these features (Scam Detection, Circle to Search, task handling) are done by its latest Gemini 3 model.
Google says these updates will already be available on the Galaxy S26 series at launch and that it will look to add “more capabilities over time.”
Android Central’s Take
I’ve felt that the security on the Galaxy S25 Ultra (and the others) was good already. However, there were clear signs that it could be better. It seems that Samsung recognized this, too, and its partnership rendered Scam Detection possible for users. Now, we’ll see clear signs about the dangers some calls or texts might pose, which is always a plus. The additions to Circle to Search are decent, of course, but Gemini’s ability to complete mundane tasks for me might be another key highlight for the series outside of Galaxy AI.
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