 |
| Image Credits:Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Image |
Google appears to be experimenting with a bold redesign for its Gemini AI app shifting from a simple chat interface to one that presents a scrollable feed of visually rich prompts and shortcuts. The change is being tested behind the scenes and aims to make Gemini more discoverable and engaging.
What the New Design Looks Like
According to reports from Android Authority, reverse engineering of a recent Gemini Android build has revealed a possible new home screen layout. Instead of landing on a blank chat window, users would see prominent buttons such as “Create Image” or “Deep Research”, followed by a feed of suggested prompts often accompanied by eye-catching visuals. Prompt ideas range from “Teleport me to deep space” or “Give me a vintage or grunge look” to more functional suggestions like “Brainstorm out loud with Live.”
A Google spokesperson declined to confirm the redesign, stating that “there’s no announcement to be made just yet.” Even so, this kind of UI shift has precedent in how AI apps evolve to help users leverage capabilities they might otherwise overlook.
Why Google Would Move to a Feed-First Model
The motivation behind this change seems to be user engagement and ease of use. A scrollable feed allows Gemini to surface use cases, inspiration, and prompts without requiring users to guess or experiment manually. That helps reduce the barrier for new users who might not know what to ask or how to begin.
With the rise of AI image tools, Google may also hope to highlight its image model “Nano Banana,” which helped the Gemini app shoot up the U.S. App Store charts in September. Integrating visual prompts into the interface could better showcase the synergy between text and image tasks.
Benefits & Risks of the Redesign
Transitioning to a prompt feed isn’t risk-free. Here are key trade-offs:
- Better discoverability: Users may discover powerful features they wouldn’t by typing cold prompts.
- Increased user retention: Visual feed elements can keep users engaged longer, nudging them to try different tasks.
- Complexity & cognitive overload: Too many prompts or visuals could overwhelm users, especially newcomers.
- Content curation challenge: Google must ensure the prompts surfaced are relevant, safe, and high quality.
- Backward compatibility: Users accustomed to chat-first layout may find the change confusing or unnecessary.
Where This Fits in the AI App Landscape
This shift mirrors how other AI tools are evolving interfaces to mix search, content browsing, and AI prompts. OpenAI’s Sora app, for example, presents “cameo” content as stylized suggestions as opposed to plain text entry. By making Gemini more visually guided, Google may tighten competition with OpenAI’s more visual AI offerings.
Furthermore, transforming the app into a hybrid search-assistant tool may help Google counter criticisms that AI assistants are too opaque or limited to question-and-answer modes. A feed can more naturally weave context, related prompts, and extensions into the experience.
Final Takeaway
While the makeover is not yet public, Gemini’s redesign hints at how Google plans to evolve AI interaction. Moving from blank chat windows to a visually rich prompt feed could reduce friction, boost discoverability, and draw more users deeper into the system. But success will depend on balance too much visual noise or irrelevant prompts could alienate core users. If done right, this could be a major step in reshaping how people use AI daily.