On September 30, 2026, Google began rolling out "Skills" in Gemini. A Skill is a set of saved instructions for something you do again and again, such as writing in your own style or planning meals around your dietary rules. It replaces what Google called a "Gem". Instead of opening a separate Gem, you type "/" in a normal Gemini chat and pick the Skill you want.
Do you get it? Yes, if you're 18 or older and use a personal Google account. Skills don't need a paid Google AI plan. The rollout is gradual, so some free accounts still only show Gems for now. If yours does, that's normal and you don't need to do anything.
What happens to your Gems? Gemini converts existing Gems into Skills automatically, so nothing you built is lost. On personal Google accounts, Gems stop working in November 2026. Work and business Google Workspace accounts follow in March 2027, and school accounts in June 2027. Google says sharing a Skill through a link and adding files from Google Drive will arrive "over the coming weeks".
What changes in practice. The idea is the same: you write your instructions once and reuse them. You just reach them with "/" in the chat box instead of a side menu. Because the rollout is phased, the buttons and menus may look different on your account than in our guides. If something doesn't match, look for the "/" option or a section called Skills.
If you've never used Gems. Now is a good time to try. Pick one thing you keep re-explaining, like your writing style or your family's food rules, and save it as a Skill. Our Gems guide walks through the same idea step by step (the steps will change slightly as Skills roll out), and how to write better prompts helps you word the instructions.
One safety tip. Saved instructions are stored in your account and can be shared, so never put passwords, card numbers or ID numbers in them. Google won't email or text you asking to "verify" your Gems or Skills, so treat any message like that as a scam. See what not to tell an AI chatbot.
Sources
- Google details Gems to skills migration, including free access — 9to5Google
- Gemini Skills expand to free accounts — Android Authority
- Let skills in Gemini tackle your most repetitive tasks — Google