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How to use Gemini: Live camera help, Skills and Android scam protection

Use Gemini Live with your camera, prepare for Gems turning into Skills, and switch on the opt-in scam protection in Google Messages.

8 min · Updated October 20, 2026 · Tools: Gemini, Gemini Live, Google Messages

  1. 1Open Gemini Live and share your camera. On an Android phone, open Gemini Live and share your camera. Gemini describes what it sees out loud, and you can ask follow-up questions about labels, colors or objects.
  2. 2Let it guide the camera. With Guided Vision, Gemini tells you when the camera is pointed too high, too close or off to one side, with cues like pan slowly to the right, tilt downward or step back.
  3. 3List your Gems. Open the Gems manager in the Gemini app and note which ones you rely on. Google says migration to Skills begins on November 17, 2026 and existing work carries over.
  4. 4Check your plan for Skills. Skills currently need a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription and access to Gemini Spark. Gems were available to free users, and Google has not said what free users keep afterward.
  5. 5Call a Skill with a slash. Inside a task thread, type a forward slash to pick a Skill. Or let Gemini decide when to apply it, or combine several Skills in one task.
  6. 6Turn on Enhanced protection in Messages. In Google Messages, switch on the new opt-in Enhanced protection mode when it reaches your phone. It is off by default.
  7. 7Review what the cloud check covers. The cloud analysis applies to conversations with unknown senders only. Decide whether the trade-off, stronger checks in exchange for cloud analysis, suits you.

Gemini is showing up in your phone's camera, your saved assistants and your messages. Three recent changes are worth knowing about, and one has a deadline.

Gemini Live with your camera

Open Gemini Live on an Android phone and share your camera. Gemini describes what it sees and answers as you talk. Google's Guided Vision builds on this for blind and low-vision users: if the camera is aimed badly, Gemini says how to fix it ("tilt downward," "step back").

Google lists four everyday uses:

  • Fine print: nutrition labels, appliance dials, menus in dim light.
  • Finding things: a dropped earbud or the pepper in a crowded cabinet.
  • Colors and details: whether a shirt goes with trousers.
  • Exploring a space: a quick overview of a room or table.

Read more in Guided Vision in Gemini Live.

Gems are becoming Skills

If you built Gems, such as a running coach or trip planner, plan for November 17, 2026. Google starts migrating them to Skills then.

Gems Skills
How you use them Open a dedicated Gem Type a forward slash in a task thread
Plan needed Free users included Google AI Pro or Ultra, plus Gemini Spark
Role A self-contained assistant A reusable set of instructions inside a larger task

In Gemini Spark, a Skill is the instructions, a Schedule is a trigger by time or condition, and a Task is the overall goal. Spark can also connect to Google Workspace, Search, Canva, Instacart and OpenTable. See Google is replacing Gems with Skills.

Calls and scam protection

Google is testing Gemini making phone calls to businesses for you, but only for a small group. It is an experiment, not something to rely on yet: TechCrunch's report.

More useful today is the new Enhanced protection mode in Google Messages. It is opt-in and rolls out over the coming weeks. It uses cloud Gemini models to judge chats with unknown senders, and Gemini Nano on your phone to check links no blocklist has seen. Google says its scam detection already flags more than 5 million suspected scam calls and texts each month. Details: Android's new scam protection.

For more on staying safe from AI-powered fraud, see how to spot a deepfake and avoid voice clone scams.

Got questions?

Quick answers, plain words

What is Guided Vision in Gemini Live?

A feature that turns an Android phone's camera into a talking guide for people who are blind or have low vision. Gemini describes what it sees, and helps you aim the camera. Google says it works across multiple languages.

Are Gems going away?

Google will start migrating Gems to Skills on November 17, 2026, according to a banner in the Gemini app. Existing Gems stay usable until they are individually migrated, and the work carries over.

Do I need to pay to use Skills?

Currently yes. Skills require a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription and access to Gemini Spark. AI Pro costs $20 a month, according to TechCrunch.

Can Gemini make phone calls for me?

Google is testing it. For now it is limited to Pixel 11 owners in the US who pay for a Gemini subscription and use the beta Google Phone app. Gemini calls from your own number, shows a live transcript and checks with you before sharing personal details.

Does Google read my texts in Enhanced protection mode?

The cloud analysis runs in Private AI Compute, which Google describes as an encrypted, dedicated space. Google says the data stays private to you and inaccessible to anyone else, including Google. It only covers chats with unknown senders.

Sources

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