Google is testing a new Gemini home screen, which replaces the current sparse landing page with a scrollable one-tap suggestions feed. An app teardown of a recent Google app build suggests that may be the case, with the search giant rolling out a Discover-style interface that coaxes users into image edits, news roundups, quizzes, and more without incurring the need to type anything at all.
A Movement From Minus to Plus in Gemini’s Home Design
Since day one, Gemini has sported a clean, clear start screen: welcome message, text box, and some shortcuts to the primary tools.
In testing spotted inside the Google app (version 16.38.62 on arm64 devices), those shortcuts appear to shift upward to cede space for a vertically scrollable feed of cards serving as prompts.
The outcome is less of a blank chat canvas and more of a dynamic “what can I do today?” feed. It’s the same design language users already know from mobile — open, scroll, tap — and a conscious step away from the quiet UI that generative AI apps typically default to.
One-Tap Prompts Across Images, News, and Code
The proposed prompts cover a wide variety of Gemini’s capabilities. Examples include style transformations applied to photos (like making them look vintage or grungy), daily news summaries, short knowledge quizzes, and on-the-fly coding tasks like creating a simple game. Tap on a card and Gemini opens the sluice gates — choose image edit, and it sends you on to the next request to upload your photo.
It’s possible that the photo-oriented cards connect with Google’s ongoing work in terms of AI-based editing; a newer technique helps protect more details when adjusting colors or trying out some style tweaks. And on the productivity front, cards promising “news you may have missed” or to “practice a topic” suggest that hints of personalization are coming down the pike — and maybe help from Google Account settings signals at some point in the future if/when this thing ships.
Why a Feed Fits Google’s Broader Gemini Strategy
Migrating to a feed is not merely cosmetic. It reduces cognitive load, alleviating the “blank prompt problem” that derails new users. In the user research for conversational agents, one-tap suggestions continue to increase engagement and decrease time to first successful outcome – a leading indicator of retention.
There’s also a larger behavioral wager. Data.ai’s State of Mobile reports that people now spend more than five hours a day in apps — and feed-based experiences take an outsize chunk of those minutes. A discovery-style home screen puts Gemini in the same league as native content feeds, where the flow is continuous, but instead of swiping past see-what-is-trending type lineups like Google Discover feed or YouTube’s Shorts shelf or Instagram’s Explore tab — keep moving, and you’re bound to find something that catches your eye before it disappears — when an item does tickle a user’s fancy, ACTION!!!
For Google, which is integrating Gemini throughout Search, Android, and Workspace, elevating clear and specific entry points could in turn boost session length and give users a taste for more of the model’s breadth. It also leaves room for more seasonal content (how to plan your travel in summer), topical recaps (about a major sports event or election), and utility-forward nudges (translate, summarize, plan), all without needing an absolutely spot-on prompt.
Not Quite There Yet, But the Trend Is Clear
Like many things we see in app teardowns, this redesign might change or never ship at all. Companies constantly test UI experiments behind flags in order to measure and improve engagement and safety. Anticipate plenty of A/B testing across regions and accounts as Google tweaks card density, personalization depth, and the mix of prompts about creative versus productivity tasks.
If Google does move forward, it would have to perfect content controls and privacy guardrails. Proposed prompts that mention news photos or personal photos raise the issues of data use and explainability. Clear labeling, opt-outs, and transparent sourcing — elements that Google has focused on in AI notes and responsible AI principles — will be crucial to ensuring user trust.
What to Watch Next as Google Refines the Gemini Feed
Monitor how the feed works with current Google services. Natural extensions add a direct link from image prompts to Google Photos, route coding cards through Colab or Android developer tools, and pair news summaries with publisher context. Another probable addition is on-device acceleration through Gemini Nano for fast, privacy-preserving jobs.
Whether or not this is the precise layout that rolls out, the message is clear: Gemini will be transforming from a passive chatbox to an active discovery surface. If the feed catches on, it would be a new way for users to discover the model’s capabilities — by scrolling, exploring, and tapping into A.I. just like any other regular experience on mobile.
