Android President Sameer Samat spent early May telling people on X that Android 17 would not copy Apple’s Liquid Glass. A few days later, Google showed what it would do instead.
Notebookcheck had already reported on May 7, 2026 that a leaked video appeared to show a Pixel phone running Google’s AI under a new name, “Gemini Intelligence.” The same report said the latest Gemini app update carried an overhaul allegedly called “Luminous Design,” with the transparency and blur that Apple fans would recognize. Tipster Ice Universe answered Samat’s denial with a cryptic reply, and nobody could tell if it was a typo or a jab.
What Google showed on May 12
The Android Show returned for its second year on May 12, 2026, a week before Google I/O. heise online reported that Gemini Intelligence arrived as an official feature set meant to turn Android into an “intelligent system.” It builds on the agentic tools Google first announced for the Galaxy S26 and Pixel 10 series in the US.
The look did change, though less than the leaks suggested. heise described a revised design language built on Material 3 Expressive, the style introduced with Android 16, with early screenshots and animations showing a bit more transparency and glass accents. Google’s own pitch was that the visuals should be appealing and functional, with animations meant to cut distraction.
The AI is the bigger change
Multi-step automation is the core. Tasks that began with food and ride-sharing apps will stretch to booking a front-row spot in a spinning class, or pulling a course schedule from Gmail and adding the books to a shopping cart. Long-press the power button, and Gemini can take a shopping list from a notes app and prepare the order. Google stressed the limits: “Gemini only acts on your command and stops the moment the task is complete.” The user confirms at the end, and form filling and app automation are strictly opt-in.
Other additions are smaller but concrete. “Create My Widget” lets people describe a widget in plain language, such as one that suggests “three protein-rich recipes for meal prep” every week. A voice feature called Rambler trims spoken input into a concise message, using the audio only for live transcription without storing it.
Google said the rollout begins over the summer, “starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel smartphones,” and reaches watches, cars, smart glasses and laptops during the year. Gemini Intelligence ties into Android 17, which heise said is scheduled for June, without an exact date from Google.
Aluminium OS gets a name
The rumored merger of Android and ChromeOS also surfaced at the show. Google gave a first look at Googlebook, a laptop category that heise described as the successor to the Chromebook. The codename Aluminium OS had circulated earlier: an Android foundation under a ChromeOS-style interface. Google called Googlebooks “the first laptops designed from the ground up for Gemini Intelligence.”
A cursor feature named Magic Pointer, built with Google DeepMind, brings Gemini suggestions to whatever window the pointer sits over. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo plan to build the machines, which carry a light bar called the Glowbar. More details are due later in the year, and the first Googlebooks are expected in the fall.
Sources
- Confidential Pixel video leaks: "Gemini Intelligence" and "Luminous Design" – Android 17's answer to Apple Intelligence and Liquid Glass? (Notebookcheck)
- Google introduces Gemini Intelligence for Android (heise online)
- Googlebook: Google introduces Android-based notebooks with Gemini Intelligence (heise online)
Sources
- Confidential Pixel video leaks: "Gemini Intelligence" and "Lumino…
- Android 17 Luminous Design Leak: 10 Stunning Clues
