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Google has been working on this since November last year going by the wayback archive of the support page for this feature. I'm not seeing any indication that

Google has been working on this since November last year going by the wayback archive of the support page for this feature. I'm not seeing any indication that Gemini can read your messages, though. You can compose messages and start calls, but I can't get it to read me any of my messages. In fact, I can't even get it to send messages to group chats, only to individual contacts. The feature makes a lot of sense, of course. WhatsApp is to many countries across the globe what texting and calling is to Americans. If your smart assistant can't even interact with WhatsApp, it's basically useless for many people. Edit: ah, that explains why I can't make Gemini read my messages to me, Google's own documentation (https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15574928 https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15574928) says it can't: What Gemini can’t do with WhatsApp Read or summarize your messages Add or read images, gifs, or memes in your messages Add or play audio or videos in your messages Read or respond to WhatsApp notifications If you connected Google Assistant to WhatsApp, it seems like data may flow that direction, but then you've already hooked WhatsApp into Google before so I don't think anyone will be surprised there. Does anyone know how I can make Gemini read messages? I can't even find the assistant settings necessary for that stuff to function.

eddythompson80 1y ago
> The Gemini mobile app may support some of these actions with help from Google Assistant or the Utilities app, even with WhatsApp disabled in Gemini. Learn more about Google Assistant features in your Gemini mobile app and actions supported by the Utilities app.
Hizonner 1y ago
What Gemini should be able to do with WhatsApp: Exactly and only what any other random app on the phone could do with WhatsApp, assuming that you have enabled that in exactly the way you would have to enable any other random app to do it. Google needs to not be abusing its position as the source of the OS to give its software special privilege to reach inside of third-party apps.
- kccqzy 1y ago
  The line is blurry. Google is positioning Gemini not just as an app, but as a OS level feature. The OS can by definition reach into any third-app app to do anything it wants. I'll give some more examples of OS-level features in case it's not clear: copy/paste is an OS-level feature and it is designed to extract arbitrary text or content from third party apps (copy) and insert them into third party apps (paste); screenshotting is an OS-level feature and it is designed to capture the visible views of any third party app with the only exception being DRM content. Apple Intelligence has similar marketing. In last year's WWDC, there was the whole "Siri, when is my mom's flight landing?" segment (see https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/101/ https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/101/ at 1h22m) that didn't generate any controversy. So for some reason people think Siri should rightfully be an OS-level feature but Gemini should not. Got it. I guess Apple's PR is just that much better than Google's.
  - actionfromafar 1y ago
    This is the line of thinking that got Microsoft into trouble back in the day, and they were forced to split the web browser and the operating system. However, operating system technology has come a long way since - the trick is to control not only the computer but the government.
  - b112 1y ago
    Dear god! Are you sure? If I ever sensed a forkable event for Android...
    - Hizonner 1y ago
      Well, really the line was crossed when Google Play Services got special privileges (and third party app developers were encouraged to call on Google Play Services as the only practical way to do various things, some of which maybe should have been part of the OS). And the "assistant" crap, and whatever else. ... and GraphenOS isn't exactly a fork, but it's plugging away, fighting the good fight, doing things like making Google Play Services both optional and a lot less privileged on the phone than it thinks it is.
deleted 1y ago
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kccqzy 1y ago
> What Gemini can’t do with WhatsApp > Read or summarize your messages Current HN title: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages Even aside from the false equivalence of Google and Gemini, the current HN title is pure clickbait.
deleted 1y ago
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Fluorescence 1y ago
"Google's own documentation"... uh oh, first time?! The first archived version of this page containing the "can't do" list was published Nov 2024. The email is about a change "making it easier" to be rolled out July 2025 so I would not bet someone else's money on this page being up to date. We'll find out I guess. https://web.archive.org/web/20241107174006/https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15574928 https://web.archive.org/web/20241107174006/https://support.g... My normal "Google's own documentation" experience is the other way round - to be told something is possible when it certainly isn't.
yard2010 1y ago
It can't read your messages just as tech giants can't pirate every book in the world to train their models. Crooked billionaires shouldn't enjoy the benefit of the doubt.

eddythompson80 1y ago

> The Gemini mobile app may support some of these actions with help from Google Assistant or the Utilities app, even with WhatsApp disabled in Gemini. Learn more about Google Assistant features in your Gemini mobile app and actions supported by the Utilities app.

Hizonner 1y ago

What Gemini should be able to do with WhatsApp: Exactly and only what any other random app on the phone could do with WhatsApp, assuming that you have enabled that in exactly the way you would have to enable any other random app to do it. Google needs to not be abusing its position as the source of the OS to give its software special privilege to reach inside of third-party apps.

kccqzy 1y ago
The line is blurry. Google is positioning Gemini not just as an app, but as a OS level feature. The OS can by definition reach into any third-app app to do anything it wants. I'll give some more examples of OS-level features in case it's not clear: copy/paste is an OS-level feature and it is designed to extract arbitrary text or content from third party apps (copy) and insert them into third party apps (paste); screenshotting is an OS-level feature and it is designed to capture the visible views of any third party app with the only exception being DRM content. Apple Intelligence has similar marketing. In last year's WWDC, there was the whole "Siri, when is my mom's flight landing?" segment (see https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/101/ https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/101/ at 1h22m) that didn't generate any controversy. So for some reason people think Siri should rightfully be an OS-level feature but Gemini should not. Got it. I guess Apple's PR is just that much better than Google's.
- actionfromafar 1y ago
  This is the line of thinking that got Microsoft into trouble back in the day, and they were forced to split the web browser and the operating system. However, operating system technology has come a long way since - the trick is to control not only the computer but the government.
- b112 1y ago
  Dear god! Are you sure? If I ever sensed a forkable event for Android...
  - Hizonner 1y ago
    Well, really the line was crossed when Google Play Services got special privileges (and third party app developers were encouraged to call on Google Play Services as the only practical way to do various things, some of which maybe should have been part of the OS). And the "assistant" crap, and whatever else. ... and GraphenOS isn't exactly a fork, but it's plugging away, fighting the good fight, doing things like making Google Play Services both optional and a lot less privileged on the phone than it thinks it is.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

kccqzy 1y ago

> What Gemini can’t do with WhatsApp > Read or summarize your messages Current HN title: Google can now read your WhatsApp messages Even aside from the false equivalence of Google and Gemini, the current HN title is pure clickbait.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

Fluorescence 1y ago

"Google's own documentation"... uh oh, first time?! The first archived version of this page containing the "can't do" list was published Nov 2024. The email is about a change "making it easier" to be rolled out July 2025 so I would not bet someone else's money on this page being up to date. We'll find out I guess. https://web.archive.org/web/20241107174006/https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/15574928 https://web.archive.org/web/20241107174006/https://support.g... My normal "Google's own documentation" experience is the other way round - to be told something is possible when it certainly isn't.

yard2010 1y ago

It can't read your messages just as tech giants can't pirate every book in the world to train their models. Crooked billionaires shouldn't enjoy the benefit of the doubt.