Gemini: the models, the apps and when to use which

What it is

Gemini is an AI assistant made by Google. You can use it in the Gemini app, and with a work account it also appears inside Google Workspace tools such as Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet. It drafts, summarises, analyses files and answers questions. Behind it sit several models (the trained systems that write the answers).

Think of a helper at a front desk (the app) who also sits beside you in each office tool.

The table shows the current names in the app's model menu, as of November 2026; check the maker's page, because names change often.

Google describes Gemini 4 Argon as a reasoning model: it works through a problem step by step before answering (see guide 03).

Why it matters

• The Gemini app runs on the web, on Android and iOS, and as desktop apps for Mac and Windows.
• With a work account on an eligible Workspace plan, Gemini helps inside Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet. Which features you get depends on your edition.
• Gemini in Chrome is a browsing assistant; on some paid plans it can browse for you, so watch each step (see guide 19).
• Google Antigravity, Google's agent-based development environment, is built into the Mac app (see guide 39).
• Plans differ on data. On personal accounts, chats may be used to improve Google's services, including training, while the Keep Activity setting is on, and some chats are read by human reviewers. For eligible Workspace work accounts, Google states that Gemini app chats and files are not reviewed by humans or used to train models without permission.
• Like any assistant, Gemini can state wrong facts confidently, and features vary by plan; research results and actions it takes still need a person to check.

How to do it

1. Check which Gemini features your organisation has approved, and sign in with your work account (see guide 10).
2. Start with the fast model for everyday drafting; move to Pro or Gemini 4 Argon when answers miss important points.
3. Use Gemini inside the Workspace tool you are already in, for example to summarise a long email thread.
4. Run Deep Research for questions that need many sources (see guide 08) and open the key citations.
5. Connect other apps only with permission, and review what each connection can see (see guide 13 and guide 40).
6. Review every draft, figure and action before it is used or sent. You are the final check.

Example

Before: reading a 40-message email thread to work out what was agreed.

After: in Gmail, with an approved work account, ask Gemini:

Summarise this thread for someone who missed it.
1. What was decided, and by whom.
2. Open questions and who owns each one.
3. Any dates or deadlines mentioned.
Quote the message date for each point. If something is
unclear, say so.

You then open the messages behind each decision and deadline before replying.

Common mistakes

• Using a personal account for work files. Fix: use your Workspace account, where the work data terms apply.
• Assuming every Workspace edition has the same features. Fix: ask IT which apps include Gemini for your edition.
• Leaving Keep Activity on for sensitive personal chats. Fix: review the setting, and never paste confidential data into a personal account.
• Trusting a summary without opening the source. Fix: ask for dates or quotes and spot-check them.
• Letting an assistant browse or act unwatched. Fix: approve each step.

Try it this week

1. Open the Gemini app or side panel with your approved work account (2 minutes).
2. Pick a made-up or non-sensitive document and ask for a five-bullet summary with the fast model (4 minutes).
3. Ask the same with a more capable model and compare (5 minutes).
4. Write one line for your team: which model, in which tool, for which job (4 minutes).

Going further

• Skills save reusable instructions for repeat tasks and are replacing Gems, Google's earlier saved assistants (see guide 11).
• Memories let Gemini use past chats for more personal answers; review them in settings.
• Gemini Live lets you talk to Gemini and switch between talking and typing on mobile.
• Image and video creation are available on some plans; check outputs before sharing.
• Workspace administrators can turn off access to the Gemini app.

Key words

• Model: the trained system that reads your request and writes the answer.
• Reasoning model: a model that works step by step before answering.
• Google Workspace: Google's set of work tools, such as Gmail, Docs and Drive.
• Keep Activity: the personal-account setting that controls whether chats are kept and used to improve Google's services.
• Edition: the version of Workspace your organisation pays for, which decides the features you get.

Sources

Examples and figures in this guide are illustrative. AI tools change often: check what your organisation's approved tools offer today. Use approved tools only, and a person checks and decides.

Prefer to print or share it? Download this guide as a PDF (274 KB), or the complete AI Field Guide (2.5 MB).