Google has announced it will retire the Gemini feature known as "Gems" and automatically migrate existing Gems into a new "skills" format. According to the notice in the Gemini app, the conversion will take effect on November 17, 2026, at which point Gems will become skills.
The company said users will not need to take action: Google will handle the migration and existing Gems will remain usable until the transition date. Details about the change are being shared inside the Gemini application to inform users about the upcoming switch.
Launched in 2024, Gems were designed to let users teach their AI to perform specific tasks without repeating instructions. Examples of Google’s pre-made Gems included a learning coach, a brainstorming assistant, a career guide, a coding partner and an editor. Users could also create custom Gems for personal needs — such as a running coach, nutritionist or vacation planner — and share those assistants with others through the Gemini app.
The announcement highlights a recurring issue in the tech industry: companies often give new features distinct brand names, icons and prominent placements in an app’s navigation only to later reorganize or merge them. Critics have pointed out that Google has faced similar product fragmentation issues well before the AI era, for example by operating multiple separate messaging and communication apps at the same time.
Google also noted that using skills differs from simply typing text to a chatbot: to select a skill in a task thread, users will need to enter a forward slash "/". The company acknowledged this interface is more likely to appeal to engineers than to the general consumer.
The wind‑down of Gems was first reported over the weekend by 9to5Google.
