Google plans to replace Gemini Gems with new Skills feature starting November 2026.

Google will retire Gemini’s customizable Gems feature and automatically migrate users’ assistants into “skills” beginning November 17, 2026; Gems will remain available until then, and users do not need to take action. Introduced in 2024, Gems let people tailor Gemini for tasks such as tutoring, coding, meal planning, and trip planning, and share their customized assistants. Google says skills will be accessible through slash commands in the prompt, integrating custom instructions into conversations instead of requiring users to find them in a side panel. The change is intended to streamline access, though the new workflow may be less intuitive for some users, and some supporting features and help materials were reportedly still under development.
Gems could do more than store custom instructions: users could set default tools, such as image creation or Canvas, and attach specific files to provide Gemini with additional context.
The transition announcement says Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers will encounter the move to skills when they switch to the Gemini Spark tab.
The reporting frames the retirement as part of a broader criticism of Google’s habit of giving features distinct names and prominent placement before later reshuffling them, likening the pattern to its history of running multiple messaging and communication apps.
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