Google leaked a mysterious COSMO app! It acts like a more capable AI assistant

For the past few years, Google has been striving to position itself as a leader in artificial intelligence for mobile devices, and its strategy is becoming increasingly transparent – to bring as many features as possible directly to the phone, ideally without the need for an internet connection. On Friday, a mysterious app called COSMO suddenly appeared on the Play Store. Before Google could quietly withdraw it, the editorial team of 9to5Google and others managed to capture what it can do. And it’s quite an interesting glimpse into what the Californian giant is currently experimenting with.

A Look into Google’s Experimental Kitchen

The COSMO app appeared on the Play Store under the package name com.google.research.air.cosmo, suggesting it originates from the Google Research division. Google itself describes it as “an experimental AI assistant app for Android devices”, which, according to its marketing description, is intended to help users organize their day or answer complex questions. However, as 9to5Google writes, it ultimately seems more like a testing ground for future features than a product intended for ordinary users.

After installing the app, which occupies 1.13 GB of storage due to the integrated Gemini Nano model, users were greeted with a rather sparse chat interface. Furthermore, Android Authority pointed out that the app’s profile on the Play Store itself looked unfinished – screenshots were distorted to incorrect aspect ratios, which only reinforces the theory of a premature release.

14 Skills That Show Where Google Is Heading

The most interesting part of the entire leak is the list of so-called “Skills” that COSMO is supposed to master. Some of them are already familiar from the Gemini app, while others indicate where the assistant could be heading. Specific skills include, for example:

• Document Writer – offers to write a document, letter, or summary
• Calendar Event Suggester – suggests adding an event to the calendar when arranging a meeting
• Browser Agent – offers task automation via the Project Mariner browser agent
• Deep Research – conducts deeper research for more complex queries
• Quick Photo Lookup – finds a photo you’re talking about during a conversation
• Conversation Summary – summarizes recently concluded conversations when the context changes
• Recall – reminds you of things you want to remember
• People Understanding and Event Understanding – provide context about people and events

These are complemented by other functions such as List Tracker for automatic list suggestions, Add Timer for creating a timer for time-bound tasks, Jargon Definitions for explaining complex acronyms, or the simple “Google it” function for quickly finding an answer. Much of this is already handled by Gemini in one form or another today, but the essential point is that COSMO integrates all these skills under one roof, and some of them are designed to run directly on the device.

Many of these features, however, give the impression that the phone might constantly be listening to what’s happening around the user – specifically, Quick Photo Lookup, Calendar Event Suggester, or Conversation Summary. In such a case, the COSMO app could serve as an AI assistant that is always with you (unlike Gemini, which needs to be manually invoked).

Three Operating Modes and the Mysterious PI Model

In the app’s settings, it was possible to choose from three query processing modes. Besides a hybrid mode, which switches based on connection availability, the app could also be set to a purely local Gemini Nano model, or conversely, only to a server-side model designated by the acronym PI. What exactly this acronym stands for, Google did not disclose, but it is likely “Personal Intelligence.” The option to choose exclusively local processing is quite interesting from a privacy perspective – ideally, the device would not have to communicate with any server.

Google leaked a mysterious COSMO app! It acts like a more capable AI assistant Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

The app also requested access to system permissions, including the AccessibilityService API, which was intended to allow it to “see” screen content and react to it. However, according to Android Authority, this function did not work reliably in testing yet, which only confirms the app’s unfinished state.

A Harbinger of the Upcoming Google I/O 2026?

The timing of the entire leak is more than striking. The Google I/O 2026 developer conference will take place later this month, and it is traditionally where the company unveils the biggest news regarding Android, Gemini, and AI in general. It is therefore possible that COSMO – or at least some of its skills – will be officially introduced in the form of new Gemini features, or perhaps exclusively for Pixel phones.

However, there is also the possibility that this was purely an internal research project that reached the public only by mistake. Given how quickly Google withdrew the app and how unfinished it appeared, it is likely that we will have to wait a long time for the final version – if we ever get it at all.

Which of COSMO’s skills would you use most often?

Sources: 9to5Google, Android Police, Android Authority