Gemini Skills Are Rolling Out in the Gemini App: What Happens to Your Gems, and When
The instructions your team saved as Gems are moving to skills, so start writing new reusable instructions as skills and keep a copy of every Gem you rely on.
What happened
On October 13, 2026, Google said skills, reusable custom instructions you can use any time you prompt Gemini, have started a gradual rollout in the Gemini app, with completion expected by mid-November 2026. The launch of skills in Workspace Studio and the Workspace apps, first set for October 5, is delayed until further notice while Google works to launch it safely. Google says sharing Gemini app skills and a Google Drive integration are coming in the following weeks, and skills you make in the Gemini app do not sync with Workspace. Gems keep working for now and move to the Settings panel of the Gemini app on November 17, 2026; they will eventually be removed, with remaining Gems migrated to draft skills. For business and enterprise customers removal is no sooner than March 1, 2027 (June 1, 2027 for education), and admins get at least 30 days’ notice before the migration. Source: Google Workspace Updates: An update on the launch of skills in the Gemini app and Workspace (October 13, 2026).
Who gets it, and what it costs
- Gemini app: all Google Workspace customers and users with personal Google accounts, as the rollout reaches them by mid-November 2026.
- Workspace apps (when it launches): Business Starter, Standard and Plus; Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus; and the Google AI Pro for Education and AI Expanded Access add-ons. Workspace skills are for users over 18.
- Gems: still usable; you can no longer add an "Ask a Gem" step to new Workspace Studio flows, but existing flows keep working.
Google lists no separate price for skills. They come with the Gemini app and the Workspace plans above.
What it means for an office team
The basic case is the Gem your team uses for one recurring job, such as "write the client recap in our format". Make a list this week of the Gems people actually use, copy each one’s instructions into a document, and build the next one as a skill once it shows up in your Gemini app.
Do not rush to delete Gems. They keep working, move to Settings on November 17, and business accounts will not lose them before March 1, 2027.