Google says Gemini's Gems will become skills, with a phased migration starting in November
The short version
Google's Help Center says Gems in the Gemini app will be transitioned to skills starting in November 2026: November 2026 for personal accounts, March 2027 for Workspace business, enterprise and nonprofit accounts, and June 2027 for education accounts. When Gems are removed, Google will automatically recreate existing Gems as skills.
What changed
Gemini's custom-assistant format changes from Gems to skills: they can be invoked with / in any chat, applied automatically by Gemini, and combined in the same conversation.
What it means for you
Individuals and teams that rely on Gems should check the automatic migration around their own removal date. Google says Gems features such as sharing and adding Drive files will come to skills in the coming weeks; for now, skills cannot be used together with Canvas or Deep Research.
According to Google's Help page, skills are reusable custom instructions: type / (later changing to @) plus a name in any Gemini conversation to invoke one, Gemini also applies them automatically when it judges them relevant, and multiple skills can be combined in one conversation. Skills are currently available to signed-in users aged 18 and over with personal Google accounts; work and school accounts come later.
The Help page also notes that skills cannot yet be used together with features such as Canvas and Deep Research. Users who want to migrate early can follow the Help page steps to copy a Gem's name, description and instructions into a new skill by hand.
Fact check
- VerifiedGems will transition to skills starting in November 2026Evidence
- VerifiedRemoval dates: November 2026 for personal accounts, March 2027 for Workspace business, enterprise and nonprofit accounts, and June 2027 for Workspace education accountsEvidence
- VerifiedWhen Gems are removed, Google will automatically recreate them as skills; users can also recreate them manually ahead of timeEvidence
- VerifiedGems in Opal and Google Labs will also be shut down in NovemberEvidence
- VerifiedSkills are invoked by typing / (later changing to @) followed by a name; Gemini applies them automatically when relevant, and several can be combined in one conversation. Currently available to signed-in users aged 18 and over with personal Google accounts; work and school accounts come laterEvidence
- VerifiedSkills cannot yet be used together with Canvas, Deep Research and similar features; Gems features such as sharing and adding Drive files will come to skills in the coming weeksEvidence
- UnconfirmedThe in-app notice states that migration begins on November 17, 2026The specific date comes from 9to5Google's and TechCrunch's reports on the in-app notice; Google's Help page says only "November 2026".Evidence
- UnconfirmedEvent time: the Google Help page has no publication date, so this site uses the earliest public report (9to5Google, 2026-09-27 17:26:40 UTC)Google gave no announcement time; the change may have appeared in the app earlier.Evidence
Coverage timeline
- Coverage9to5GoogleGemini app replacing Gems with skills in November
- CoverageTechCrunchGoogle is killing off Gemini’s Gems in favor of ‘skills’
- Primary sourceGoogleAbout the transition from Gems to skills