Google secretly uploaded a mysterious app to the Play Store. It's preparing a cursor for Googlebook with it

Google has kept its first own notebooks a secret since the May announcement. However, it has now secretly slipped the Magic Pointer app into the Play Store without a single announcement, which so far most concretely indicates how the intelligent cursor with Gemini will work on Googlebook notebooks. But you won’t be able to try it yourself – it will only launch on a device that arrives in the autumn.

What can Magic Pointer actually do?

According to the description in the Play Store, you just need to select any text or image on the screen, and the cursor – adorned with the familiar Gemini sparkle – will offer contextual suggestions from artificial intelligence. Examples mentioned by Google include searching selected content via Google Lens, generating images with the Nano Banana tool, or shopping tips. In other words, it’s meant to be a quick shortcut to Gemini features without leaving what you’re currently looking at.

However, we don’t know the complete list of capabilities yet. The app is version 1.0.260708 and appeared in the store as early as June 9, according to 9to5Google, but media attention has only just picked up. It currently has over a thousand downloads.

Google secretly uploaded a mysterious app to the Play Store. It's preparing a cursor for Googlebook with it Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

Why did the app go to the Play Store?

A crucial detail is that Magic Pointer won’t run on a regular phone or tablet – it is officially listed as unsupported on everything except Googlebook. Google showcased Googlebook, the upcoming computer platform with Gemini at its core, at the spring event The Android Show, and its official launch is expected in the autumn.

Placing a standalone app in the Play Store makes sense: Google can send it updates independently of major system updates, similar to how it has done with its other apps for years. However, what exactly the cursor on Googlebook will be capable of, we will most likely find out for sure at the autumn presentation.

Would you like a cursor on your laptop that can help you with anything on the screen?

Sources: 9to5Google, Android Authority