KEY POINTS
- Engadget says Gemini works best when connected to a user's most-used apps through the customization menu.
- Detailed prompts, a defined role and set restrictions are recommended to shape the assistant's answers.
- Users can save skills, run deep research and guided learning, and import chat history from other chatbots.
Engadget has published a how-to guide on getting better results from Google Gemini, the company's main AI assistant. The article collects several practical tips on settings and prompting that are meant to make the chatbot more useful in everyday work.
According to Engadget, Gemini is not the most feature-rich chatbot on the market. Its tight integration with Google's own apps and services, however, makes it a strong competitor to Claude and ChatGPT. The outlet describes it as a powerful tool when used properly.
The first recommendation is to connect frequently used apps to Gemini. This is done in the customization menu inside Gemini. Engadget strongly advises users to do so, saying it lets the assistant streamline existing workflows.
Prompting is the second focus. The guide says specific, detailed instructions with added context perform much better than generic requests. It also notes that an AI assistant's personality and style of delivering information can be adjusted. Users can tell Gemini which role to take, such as a close friend, a mentor or an industry professional. For those short on ideas, setting limits on sources and on how the answer is presented is described as a fast way to tailor results.
Engadget also points to skills, which are saved prompts that can be run with a simple slash command. They are listed in the customization menu. Google provides a few premade ones, and users can build their own. The outlet suggests creating a skill for each role a user wants Gemini to play, so the assistant can be adjusted without switching tabs.
Further options appear when starting a chat. Clicking the plus icon near the chat bar shows several settings. The first ones allow uploading documents or images, while the more impactful ones are deep research and guided learning. Deep research makes Gemini act as an authority on a subject and find multiple sources before answering, which Engadget says can help with niche topics that are hard to search elsewhere. Guided learning works as a study guide for people learning something new.
Finally, the guide notes that many people use more than one chatbot. Google lets users import chat history from other AI assistants into Gemini. Users export their data from the other service and then import it through Gemini's settings menu. According to Engadget, this gives Gemini a starting memory to draw from and helps tailor its output.
