Google’s obtained a mysterious new experimental AI app for Android

Replace, Could 1, 2026 (2:31 PM ET): Nicely, we might have been nearer to the mark than we realized with that “not fairly prepared for prime time” commentary, as a result of Google simply pulled COSMO’s Play Retailer itemizing. We are able to nonetheless view the web page when logged in with accounts which have already put in COSMO, however everybody else is getting a “not discovered” message.

Authentic article, Could 1, 2026 (1:44 PM ET): Google isn’t precisely shy about giving us entry to its newest AI experiments. When it’s not deploying up to date Gemini fashions for us to check out, it’s testing new AI-powered options in apps like YouTube. This week, although, we’re getting one thing just a little bit totally different, as Google introduces a brand new Android app to the Play Retailer: COSMO.

The brand new app, arriving with the package deal identify com.google.analysis.air.cosmo, is described by Google as “an experimental AI assistant utility for Android units” (by way of 9to5Google). The corporate goes on to elucidate:

COSMO brings the ability of synthetic intelligence immediately onto your system. From organizing your day to answering complicated questions, COSMO works behind the scenes to simplify your life.

That… doesn’t actually do a lot to distinguish it from Google’s major Gemini app — so what precisely is the purpose of COSMO? For now, this seems to be a testbed of types, although precisely for whom and what isn’t but clear.

Trying by way of app settings, COSMO reveals it could actually operate with an area Gemini Nano mannequin, a distant “PI” server, or a hybrid mode that switches between the 2 as out there. COSMO is constructed to faucet into Android’s AccessibilityService API to entry your display screen, however in our testing this doesn’t seem like totally working simply but.

COSMO is supplied with fairly a number of particular AI expertise, although not all of them are enabled by default.

Interacting with COSMO’s assistant works as anticipated, however it’s understandably fairly a bit rougher across the edges than the total Gemini app. Actually, the general impression we’re getting right here is that that is an app that’s not fairly prepared for prime time — even the Play Retailer itemizing is poorly executed, with screenshots squished into incorrect facet ratios:

None of that is very satisfying, we all know, however actually we’ve simply obtained extra questions than solutions proper now. We’ll maintain digging round to see if there’s something attention-grabbing the app is able to disclose to us, and look ahead to Google to announce its new instrument — hopefully clearing up a whole lot of these unknowns.