Google Drive for Android is preparing handy new features for working with PDF files. What to look forward to?

In the middle of the month, we informed you about a new improvement to the web version of Google Drive, which brings automatic creation of PDF file summaries using the Gemini artificial intelligence. Now it looks like the same functionality is coming to mobile devices. The editors of Android Authority discovered upcoming new features in the code of the latest version of the Android app that will significantly simplify working with PDF documents directly on your smartphone or tablet.

Convenient access to PDF summaries in the mobile app

According to the information found, users of Google Drive for Android will have the option to access AI summaries of PDF documents directly in the mobile app. You will be able to access this feature either through the three-dot menu or via a new icon at the top of the screen when viewing a document. A major benefit is that you won’t have to leave the PDF viewer to request a summary – Gemini will be directly integrated into it.

This new feature builds on the recently introduced function in the web version, where “PDF summary cards” can not only summarize the content of a document but also offer interactive buttons for further actions related to the given document. It is not yet clear whether the mobile version will offer equally rich options, but the main benefits should remain.

Batch summarization of multiple files at once

Even more interesting is a feature that is currently missing in the web version – the ability to summarize the content of multiple files at once. According to the discovered code fragments, users will be able to long-press to select several PDF documents and ask Gemini to create summaries for all selected files simultaneously. This tool will be particularly appreciated by work teams or students who need to quickly process a large number of documents.

Google Drive for Android is preparing handy new features for working with PDF files. What to look forward to? Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

The app is also preparing a limited folders feature, which will allow summarizing the content of various documents within a single folder. However, it seems that only one folder can be selected for summarization at a time, not multiple folders simultaneously. On the other hand, there will likely be no limit on the number of PDFs and documents that can be processed in this batch manner.

Limitations and technical details

The upcoming features were discovered in the Google Drive v2.25.250 for Android app and could appear in one of the upcoming updates. However, it is important to emphasize that PDF document summarization will likely only work with files stored directly in the Google Drive cloud, not with PDF files downloaded to the device’s offline storage.

As with the web version, it is expected that these features will be primarily available to users with higher-tier Google Workspace subscriptions and Gemini plan subscribers. Google has not yet officially announced exactly when these new features will be launched, but given the gradual rollout of similar features in the web version, it can be expected that it might be in the coming weeks.

How would you use the ability to batch summarize multiple PDF documents at once?

Source: Android Authority