Overview
- Google rolled Gemini Spark into the Gemini macOS app as a limited beta for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S., and the update is distributed via the app updater (Gemini 1.80.x).
- On Mac, Spark can run multi-step workflows that access only the local files users explicitly allow, and the app adds a Spark tab plus settings such as keep‑awake, backup alerts, and usage limits.
- Google is expanding connected apps to include Google Tasks and Keep and third-party services like Canva, Dropbox, Instacart, OpenTable, and Zillow Rentals, and it is adding Model Context Protocol support for custom integrations.
- Remote phone-to-Mac control is not broadly available yet but Google says it is coming soon, and Android app teardowns found code strings for a device picker, Mac status indicators, and an internal codename (‘Robin’) that corroborate the planned phone-driven monitoring and control.
- Google says Spark uses session isolation (a separate 'new thread' model) and file-level permissions to limit data exposure, and the staged, experimental rollout means users and security reviewers should watch how the feature performs as integrations and remote execution reach macOS in the coming weeks.