No stranger to a rebrand, Google is making a small but meaningful change to its AI assistant, switching the name of Gemini Extensions to “Apps.” While the functionality remains the same, the shift in terminology might just make Gemini’s features more approachable for everyday users.

As highlighted by APK teardown specialist and Android Authority contributor AssembleDebug in an X post, this change is already live in the latest beta version of the Google app (version 16.8.31.sa.arm64.) It replaces every mention of Extensions in settings, the account menu, and the Gemini interface.

Gemini Extensions (now Apps) essentially allow Google’s AI chatbot to interact with various web services and phone features. This means Gemini can do things like check your Google Calendar, summarize YouTube videos, find flights through Google Flights, or play music on Spotify. These integrations help Gemini go beyond answering questions and actually perform useful real-world tasks based on personalized or real-time information.

Google has a history of frequently renaming and restructuring its services, but this one could be an effort to integrate the features more seamlessly into Gemini, making them feel more like core components. A clearer, more familiar name might encourage more users to explore Gemini’s capabilities.

Personally, small as it might be, I think this rebrand makes a lot of sense. The word “extensions” has a very specific techy connotation — something extra, an add-on, maybe even something optional. It’s the kind of term you’d associate with Chrome extensions or developer tools rather than a core product feature. On the flip side, Apps is a word we all recognize from our own everyday use. It suggests something built-in rather than bolted-on. AI assistants are continuously competing for relevance, so making things feel seamless and familiar is probably a smart move.