Google Gemini Skills Replace Gems as Spark Becomes Task

• Google will start converting Gems on personal Gemini accounts into a new format called Skills from November 17.
• Skills bring custom instructions into the main Gemini chat, where users can call them with a forward slash.
• Google is also moving its Spark background agent into the main chat under the new name Task.

Google Gemini Skills are about to replace Gems, changing how people access custom bots and use the background agent in Gemini. From November 17, Google will begin automatically converting Gems on personal Google accounts into this new format.

The changes also bring Spark into the main Gemini chat under the name Task. Meanwhile, Scheduled Actions will remain alongside Task. With several names covering different features, understanding what each one means will become important when navigating Gemini.

Google Gemini Skills Will Replace the Separate Gems Experience

Gems were standalone custom bots in Gemini. Users selected a Gem from the sidebar and chatted with it in its own separate window. This gave custom bots a distinct place within the interface.

Skills change that arrangement by bringing custom instructions into the main Gemini chat. Instead of opening a separate window for a Gem, users can type a forward slash in the chat to use a Skill.

Google will begin automatically converting Gems on personal Google accounts from November 17. Until that conversion takes place, users can continue using their existing Gems. After conversion, Gems will be gone for good on personal accounts.

Spark Is Becoming Task Inside Gemini

Google is also moving Spark, its background agent, into the main Gemini chat under the name Task. This is a separate change from the move from Gems to Skills, even though both changes bring features into the main chat experience.

Task will sit next to Scheduled Actions, a timer feature that has existed since 2025. The two names will therefore appear alongside each other, making it useful to distinguish the renamed Spark feature from Scheduled Actions.

Gemini Gems vs Skills vs Task vs Scheduled Actions

The four names refer to different parts of Gemini. The table below summarises the distinctions based on the announced changes.

What to Do With Your Saved Gems

If you use Gems on a personal Google account, you can continue using them until the automatic conversion begins. The conversion is scheduled to start on November 17, so existing Gems do not disappear before that process starts.

After conversion, Gems will no longer exist on personal accounts in their previous form. Their custom instructions will move into the Skills format, which can be used from the main Gemini chat with a forward slash. Work and school accounts are scheduled to follow in 2027.

The key point is that this is a change in how the features are organised and named. Users familiar with the separate Gems window will need to recognise Skills as the new format for accessing those custom instructions. You can check the latest on the official Google Gemini website.

Why Gemini’s New Names May Cause Confusion

Google has a history of confusing product names, and these changes add more terminology to an already evolving Gemini experience. Gems and Skills are connected through the move from standalone custom bots to custom instructions in the main chat. Task, meanwhile, is the new name for Spark.

Scheduled Actions adds another name to remember because it will appear next to Task. Keeping these distinctions in mind should make it easier to identify which Gemini feature is being discussed.

Conclusion

Google’s Gemini changes will convert personal-account Gems into Skills from November 17 and bring Spark into the main chat as Task. Gems will remain usable until conversion, while work and school accounts will follow in 2027. Scheduled Actions will continue to sit alongside Task, adding another distinction to the renamed Gemini features.

Frequently Asked Questions