Google has started rolling out its new ‘Personal Intelligence’ feature in India for Google Gemini, bringing the country into its global expansion after earlier launches in markets like the US. The update lets Gemini connect with apps like Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube, and Google Search to give more personalized answers based on a user’s own data. It is currently available to paid subscribers and works across Android, iOS, and the web. Importantly, the feature is opt-in, meaning users can choose what data Gemini can access.
Personal Intelligence’s rollout in India is strategically significant. The country today has one of the largest and fastest-growing digital populations in the world, with over 1 billion internet users and penetration approaching 75% of the population. Its ecosystem remains strongly mobile-first, with nearly 90% of users accessing the internet via smartphones and a total smartphone base estimated at over 1.1 billion in 2026. This growth has been driven by affordable data, expanding 4G/5G networks, and rising usage across urban and rural areas, with average monthly consumption around 30 GB per user.
And therefore, for Google, introducing advanced AI features like Personal Intelligence in such an environment is not just about scaling its user base but also about testing these systems in a highly diverse and multilingual market, where a large share of users consume content in regional languages. The move also comes at a time when the tech giant is facing increasing competition in AI from global players and emerging domestic initiatives focused on localized language models and services.
Currently, the feature is being introduced to users on premium subscription tiers. However, over time, the company is expected to expand access to a wider user base, potentially including free-tier users with certain limitations. Even the cross-platform availability ensures that users can access the same personalized experience regardless of device, strengthening Gemini’s role as a central AI layer across Google’s ecosystem.
Meanwhile, privacy and user control remain central to the feature’s design. The Sundar Pichai-led firm has highlighted that Personal Intelligence is entirely permission-based, requiring users to actively enable connections between Gemini and their apps. Users can decide which services to link and can revoke access at any time. The tech titan has also stated that personal data accessed through these integrations is not directly used to train its underlying AI models.
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Ashutosh is a Senior Writer at The Tech Portal, largely reporting on new tech, and intersection of technology and business. Ashutosh’s career spans across nearly a decade of technology writing across multiple platforms and languages.
