Gemini Gems to Skills: Key Rollout Dates Starting October 2026

Google announced on its Workspace Updates blog on September 30, 2026 that "skills" are beginning to roll out in the Gemini app and Google Workspace apps in early October 2026, and will gradually replace the existing Gems feature over the coming months.

How skills differ from Gems

Skills are reusable, custom instructions you can apply whenever prompting Gemini in the Gemini app or most Workspace apps. Unlike Gems, skills can be "stacked" so multiple sets of instructions work together in a single prompt — for example pairing a brand-voice skill with an email-drafting skill in one step. Skills are built on the open, Markdown-native SKILL.md standard, letting users copy skills created on other platforms into the Gemini app or Workspace. Google notes that skills currently do not sync between the Gemini app and Workspace apps, so each must be created separately in both places if needed.

Key dates to track

• October 5, 2026: Skills begin rolling out in Workspace (Rapid Release domains expected to finish by October 12; Scheduled Release domains start October 19 and finish by mid-November).
• October 13, 2026: Skills begin rolling out in the Gemini app, with completion expected by mid-November 2026.
• November 17, 2026: Gems move into the Settings panel of the Gemini app, but users can still create, edit, and use them.
• No sooner than March 1, 2027 (business and enterprise accounts): Gems can no longer be created, edited, or used and are removed from Settings; Workspace Studio flows using the "Ask a Gem" step stop working; any remaining Gems auto-migrate to draft skills.
• No sooner than June 1, 2027 (education accounts): the same changes apply, also affecting Google Classroom and third-party LMS platforms supported by Gemini LTI.

Who gets access, and what to do

Skills in the Gemini app are available to all Google Workspace customers and to users with personal Google accounts. Skills in Workspace are currently available on Business Starter, Standard, and Plus; Enterprise Starter, Standard, and Plus; the Google AI Pro for Education add-on; and the AI Expanded Access add-on. Skills in Workspace are limited to users 18 and older, while skills in the Gemini app are available to users of all ages.

During the transition, users can keep creating and using Gems in the Gemini app as usual, though new Workspace Studio flows can no longer use the "Ask a Gem" step (existing flows keep working). Anyone who wants to move early can manually recreate their Gems as skills in the Gemini app, and recreate them separately in Workspace apps since syncing isn't automatic yet. Google says it will give organization admins at least 30 days' notice before the bulk automatic migration begins.