Gemini App Simplifies Thinking and Notification Controls
Google is rolling out Gemini app interface changes on July 27-28, 2026, reducing the Thinking Level picker to a single "Extended Thinking" option and adding notification-category controls. 9to5Google and Android Authority report that the update also refreshes Gemini Spark task navigation with top tabs and a search icon, though notification settings are not yet widely available.
Google is rolling out Gemini app interface changes that simplify its Thinking Level selector and introduce controls for several notification categories. According to 9to5Google, the change is appearing broadly on Android and the web, while the new notification settings are not yet widely available.
Previously, Gemini's model picker presented a two-step Thinking Level menu with "Standard" and "Extended thinking." Both 9to5Google and Android Authority report that the picker now displays only Extended Thinking, removing Standard because it remains the default selection. The result is a one-step control for users who want the additional reasoning mode for complex prompts.
Notification settings arrive on Android
According to 9to5Google, Gemini on Android is adding notification controls in the account menu for:
- •Daily brief, a personalized daily overview
- •Scheduled actions, for recurring-action updates
- •Responses, for complex questions that take time
- •Product updates and tips, covering features, models, and tips
Android Authority reports that these toggles are enabled by default. The controls allow users to disable individual classes of alerts rather than suppressing all Gemini notifications.
Spark task navigation changes
Gemini Spark on Android is also receiving a revised task-management interface. 9to5Google reports that it now uses top tabs for All, Scheduled, Needs input, In progress, and Completed. The former top-right menu button has been replaced with a magnifying-glass icon for task search.
For practitioners evaluating Gemini's consumer-facing workflow features, these are usability changes rather than new model capabilities. Still, notification granularity can matter for agent-like workflows that produce asynchronous results, while the simplified reasoning selector makes the higher-compute mode more directly accessible. Availability may vary during the staged rollout, according to the two reports.
Key Points
- 1Gemini removes the visible Standard option, leaving Extended Thinking as the explicit control for complex problem-solving requests.
- 2Android notification toggles separate Daily Brief, scheduled-action, response, and product-update alerts, providing more granular user-level controls.
- 3Comparable asynchronous AI workflows often benefit from configurable completion alerts, especially when complex responses require additional processing time.
Scoring Rationale
This is a same-day product-interface update for Gemini users, with modest relevance to practitioners who use asynchronous responses and scheduled actions. It does not introduce a new model, API, benchmark, or underlying capability.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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