Google Gemini’s new thinking level lets you dial up the brainpower

By Shimul Sood Published May 18, 2026

Gemini Intelligence — Google

With Google I/O 2026 almost here, Google seems unable to stop Gemini leaks from slipping out early. Every other day, something new appears inside the app, and this time it looks like Google is experimenting with giving users more control over how much “thinking” Gemini actually does before responding.

According to a report from 9to5Google, some users are now spotting a new “Thinking Level” option inside the Gemini app. The feature reportedly appears within Gemini’s existing model picker, where users already choose between options like Fast, Thinking, Pro, or Google AI Plus.

Things are getting a little more nuanced

Instead of simply choosing which model you want, Google also appears to be testing how deeply that model reasons through a task. The report says the new Thinking Level option currently shows up when selecting Fast (Gemini 3 Flash) or Gemini 3.1 Pro with thinking enabled. For now, the rollout seems extremely limited.

If this sounds familiar, that is because Google AI Studio already offers similar controls with Low, Medium, and High reasoning levels. Bringing that flexibility into the regular Gemini app feels like the next obvious step, especially as AI companies increasingly compete on how “thoughtful” or agentic their assistants can feel.

Honestly, I feel this could be more useful than it sounds

Not every AI request needs maximum reasoning power. Sometimes you just want a quick answer without waiting several extra seconds while the model overanalyzes your grocery list, as if it were preparing a PhD thesis. Giving users control over that balance between speed and deeper reasoning could make Gemini feel much more flexible day to day.

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Google also appears to be expanding Gemini’s growing ecosystem of third-party app integrations. Right now, Gemini already works with apps and services like GitHub, OpenStax, Spotify, and WhatsApp.

However, support documentation reportedly hints that integrations for Canva, Instacart, and OpenTable are also on the way. None of these integrations appears to be live yet, but the timing makes sense. Google I/O is usually where the company shows off Gemini becoming less of a chatbot and more of a proper digital assistant that can actually do things across apps and services.

At this point, Gemini’s evolution feels less about smarter answers alone and more about turning the app into something that quietly handles parts of your digital life in the background — ideally without making everything feel unnecessarily complicated.

Contributor

Shimul is a contributor at Digital Trends, with over five years of experience in the tech space.

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