Google has started rolling out Personal Intelligence with Gemini on Android Auto, the company announced in a blog post on October 20. The feature lets Gemini pull details from a user's Google apps to answer questions while driving. Cars with Google built-in will get Personal Intelligence in the coming months.

Google also says Gemini itself is now available globally on Android Auto and in cars with Google built-in, where drivers can speak naturally to get tasks done or brainstorm ideas.

With the user's permission, Personal Intelligence connects information from Google Workspace (including Gmail and Google Calendar), Google Photos, Google Maps, YouTube, and Search.

According to Google, the feature has two core strengths: retrieving a specific detail, such as an email, a photo, or a saved place in Google Maps, and reasoning across complex sources to answer a question. Google lists examples of requests drivers can make by voice:

• ask for a flight gate and the flight's status in one question on the way to the airport
• find an indoor restaurant along the route that matches personal preferences, such as vegetarian options
• start navigation to a doctor's appointment without looking up the street address
• navigate to a car wash seen in a photo taken the previous week
• return to a coffee shop mentioned in a conversation the day before

The point, Google says, is that drivers do not have to explain context, search for a confirmation email, or scroll through a camera roll while their hands are on the wheel.

Personal Intelligence is opt-in. Google states that apps are not connected until the user turns the feature on, and it can be switched off at any time in Gemini settings. Users who already enabled Personal Intelligence in the Gemini app on their phone will find that the setting carries over to the car automatically.

Drivers who want to try it on Android Auto can follow these steps:

1. Open the Gemini app on the Android phone that connects to the car.
2. Go to Gemini settings and turn on Personal Intelligence.
3. Choose which Google apps Gemini may access, such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos, or Maps.
4. Connect the phone to Android Auto and ask Gemini a question by voice.

Drivers who prefer not to share app data can leave the feature off. Google says navigation, music, calls, and general questions continue to work without it, though answers will not be tailored to the user.

For cars with Google built-in, personal responses are only shared when the driver is in the car with the phone connected. The list of connected apps can be reviewed or changed in Gemini settings at any time, and the same setting controls Personal Intelligence on the phone and in the car.

Google describes the Android Auto release as a rollout starting October 20, so not every user will see Personal Intelligence immediately, and the company has not given a specific date for cars with Google built-in beyond "the coming months."