Google expands AI-powered app discovery and Android development tools at I/O
Google LLC’s Android team today announced it’s employing deeper integration of generative artificial intelligence and agentic AI to help mobile developers and publishers connect with customers and users.
The company said at its annual Google I/O 2026 developer conference that said it’s expanding how users can find apps in the Google Play store on Android and the web using Gemini. This manifests as Ask Play within the store, a new AI-powered overlay experience with Gemini under the hood that turns app discovery into a natural conversation.
The new experience can access the full context of different app experiences and listen to what the user wants through an iterative discussion to help them find what they want in the store. More and more users are turning to AI chatbots for discovery, and with Ask Play highlights, users can get a high-level summary of searches directly within search results to help them decide what apps or games they want from the ever-growing catalog.
Google also announced updates to Engage SDK, which helps bridge and surface content between devices. For example, if users spend time watching a TV show on their Google TV and then walk away, they might notice a Play listing showing them that they can continue watching on their Android tablet when they’re away from home and have free time.
