Gemini's biggest problem in Android Auto isn't a bug—it's what it refuses to do

Gemini's debut on Android Auto has been a bit bumpy, to say the least. There are plenty of legitimate issues that Google needs to iron out still, but I've made an effort to give it a fair try. However, my main complaint isn't a bug—it's a feature that's completely missing.

You may be surprised to learn that Gemini for Android Auto has actually been out for over a year already . That's because it didn't start fully rolling out until early this year. People have been complaining about Gemini's chattiness ( you can fix this ) and general lack of intelligence compared to Google Assistant . I've run into these same things, but the one feature I've regularly wished for is better integration with my phone. Allow me to explain.

Gemini doesn't want to leave the vehicle with me

It's not only about the journey

I've been trying to test the limits of Gemini on Android Auto by doing things that I wouldn't expect Google Assistant to be able to do . Rather than simple questions like when businesses are open or how long it will take for me to drive there, I've been asking more specific details about locations.

For example, I was recently driving, and I remembered there was something I wanted to check if my local Walmart had in stock. Instead of waiting until I got home to look it up, I decided to ask Gemini right then and there. To its credit, Gemini was able to look up and accurately tell me the names and prices of the products in stock—admittedly pretty cool. However, the next request is where it failed.

I wasn't about to just show up at the store, trusting Gemini to be correct. I also wanted to know which aisle the product was located in. So, I asked Gemini to send a link to the cheapest model it mentioned to my phone. That way, I could double-check for accuracy at the next stoplight and not waste any time at the store. Gemini couldn't do it.

Gemini pretends to be more limited than it is

I know you can do this

Of course, this entire conversation was being transcribed and saved in the Gemini app on my phone. However, when I looked back at the conversation, Gemini didn't show its work. There were no source links to any of the products it mentioned. I had to go search for the products manually, which defeats the purpose of using Gemini in the first place. Sometimes it does provide sources, but not always.

The bigger issue, though, is that Gemini acts like it can't do things it clearly has the potential for. As I said, it was correct about the names and prices of the products in stock at the specific Walmart location I asked about. Clearly, it accessed the Walmart website to gather this information—so why can't it share those links with me?

I also know it's completely realistic to expect Gemini to send notifications to my phone. This was something Google Assistant did all the time. If you asked Assistant about the history of Chevrolet, for example, it would recite a few lines of information and send a link to the Wikipedia page to your phone. There's no reason Gemini shouldn't be able to do the same thing.

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I want a better co-pilot

Gemini in Android Auto needs to be more than just a driving companion. It would be awesome to have a list of shortcuts to things discussed while driving, waiting on my phone for me. Imagine if you could say, "Send a link to the menu for the restaurant I'm driving to." That's what a genuine assistant would do—prepare me for success as soon as I "touch down." Google has bigger issues in Android Auto to figure out first, but I hope to see better integration with my phone in the future.