Play Store Taps Gemini For AI-Powered Q&A About Apps

Contents

The Gemini-powered feature appears to be rolling out widely

Summary

Google is integrating Gemini into the Play Store with the “Ask Play about this app” feature.
The feature uses AI to answer general app questions but struggles with specific inquiries.
It also displays common app questions that you can tap to get answers quickly.

Google has been integrating Gemini across all its apps and services. The Play Store might seem like the only place Google’s AI chatbot was left to infiltrate. All signs pointed to this changing soon, with Google working on an AI-powered “Ask Play about this app” feature. After a few months in development, the Gemini-powered feature now seems to be rolling out to the public.

With “Ask Play about this app” functionality, you can use Gemini to ask questions about an app, like how to use it, what its key features are, and more. In my experience, you can’t ask overly specific questions. For instance, when I asked if the Instagram app is optimized for tablets, Gemini failed to provide an answer.

The Play Store will also display commonly asked questions below the textbox to type in queries that you can tap to get quick answers. These questions will vary based on the app’s listing. For example, with WhatsApp, you might see “How do I create a group?”, while for X, a question like “How do I change my username?” will appear.

The new “Ask Play about this app” section appears separately above “What’s new.” Google also highlights the usage of AI with a “Created by AI” label on the bottom left.

The Gemini-powered feature appears to be rolling out widely

Image of the Google Gemini assistant overlay on an Android phone.

Android Authority reports that this Gemini-powered “Ask Play about this app” feature is widely rolling out with v46.1.39-31 of the Play Store. I also see the new section on some of my Android devices, running the specified Play Store version and the latest Google Play System update installed.

However, it does not appear on all app listings, primarily showing up for popular apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Apple Music, and YouTube Music for me. This list will likely expand in the coming days and weeks.

This “Ask Play about this app” feature holds promise and can help you learn about an app’s capabilities before deciding whether it’s worth installing. Right now, you must manually install an app to know about all its features or go through its entire Play Store listing, both of which are time-consuming.