Google maps out transition plan to replace Gemini Gems with Skills

The end of the line is coming for Gemini Gems, as they’re set to be replaced by Skills. Google recently began warning users of this change through a banner in the Gems manager of the Gemini app. The company has now provided a timeline for the rollout of Skills and the phase-out of Gems.

Gems are being replaced across all Google surfaces, including Workspace and the Gemini app. In a new blog post, the company has shared the key dates you should keep track of. It also provided a few details on what will happen on these dates.

• October 5, 2026: Skills begin rolling out in Workspace, with an expected completion by mid-November.
• October 13, 2026: Skills begin rolling out in the Gemini app, with an expected completion by mid-November.
• November 17, 2026: Gems move to the Settings panel of the Gemini app, but users can continue to create, edit, and use them.
• March 1, 2027 (business and enterprise only): Gems can no longer be created, edited, or used, and they’ll be removed from the Settings panel of the Gemini app. Flows in Workspace Studio with the Ask a Gem step will stop working. Any remaining Gems in the Gemini app will be auto-migrated to draft skills in the Gemini app.
• June 1, 2027 (education only): Gems can no longer be created, edited, or used, and they’ll be removed from the Settings panel of the Gemini app, as well as Google Classroom and third-party LMS’ supported by Gemini LTI. Flows in Workspace Studio with the Ask a Gem step will stop working. Any remaining Gems in the Gemini app will be auto-migrated to draft skills in the Gemini app.

The tech giant adds that Skills don’t sync between the Gemini app and Workspace. So, if you want to use a Skill on both platforms, you’ll have to create it separately. Additionally, you can still create and use Gems in the Gemini app, and existing “Ask a Gem” steps still work in Workspace Studio, for now. However, you can no longer create new Ask a Gem steps.

It’s also mentioned that Skills will be available in the Gemini app to all Workspace customers and personal Google accounts. That clears up any lingering confusion on whether Skills will be available to users with free accounts.

For those unfamiliar with Gems, they are custom, personalized AI assistants built to handle specific tasks, such as brainstorming, coding, and more. Skills differ from Gems in that they can be stacked in a single prompt. For example, you could combine a “weekly newsletter” Skill with a “brand guidelines” Skill to create on-brand communications.