October 23, 2025, 6:34 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Many Android users share personal information daily without knowing it might be intercepted. According to a report from “Ars Technica,” since July 2025, Google has been accessing content from screens and third-party apps, such as WhatsApp, through its AI, Gemini.
The AI is now deeply integrated into the Android operating system and, according to the report, analyzes everything happening on the screen—including text inputs in third-party apps like WhatsApp. Even if users have previously disabled such access, Gemini is said to still read and store the captured data on Google servers for up to 72 hours.
Possible Access by Employees
According to the report, U.S. users have already received an email from Google indicating that the stored data can be accessed and processed by internal employees and external service providers. Privacy advocates criticize that users have little effective protection against this data collection. Google’s own instructions for disabling the feature are also considered confusing and contradictory, according to the report.
Since Gemini is firmly integrated into the system, the AI is difficult to bypass. However, there are some ways to limit data access.
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How to Check if Gemini is Active
On your Android device, open Settings and select “Apps.” Under “Default Apps,” you will find which voice assistant is active in the “Digital Assistant App” section. If Gemini is listed here, you can switch back to Google Assistant instead. This will automatically revoke certain access rights from Gemini.
In the app settings, you can also manually restrict or completely revoke the access rights of the Gemini app. Additionally, in the privacy settings of your Google account, you can manage data collection: Under “Data from Apps and Services,” you can select Gemini and disable data storage.
Google Responds to the Allegations
As reported by “ComputerBILD” (like TECHBOOK, part of Axel Springer), Google has since responded to the allegations. A company spokesperson stated that data is only transmitted to Gemini when users actively make a request and explicitly enable the connection to apps like WhatsApp. There is no automatic eavesdropping function, according to them.
According to Google, users can individually allow or block app connections in the Gemini app. If access is disabled, the AI no longer has access to the data. Additionally, stored information can be deleted retroactively in the activity menu.
Nevertheless, experts recommend being generally cautious: Anyone sharing sensitive information via WhatsApp should be aware that even well-protected systems are not completely secure.