On September 30, 2026 Google announced Gemini skills, reusable instructions that will gradually take the place of Gems. The Google Workspace Updates blog, Android Authority and TechWyse all report it. In the Gemini app the rollout starts on October 13, 2026. If you use Gemini to write quotes, replies to customers or posts with the same instructions every time, this affects you, even if you have never heard of Gems.
What we know and what we don't
We know what they are, according to Google Workspace Updates. Skills are custom, reusable instructions that you call up every time you write to Gemini, in the app and in most Workspace apps. You can use more than one in the same message, and they work inside the conversation, unlike Gems. They are built on the open SKILL.md standard, so skills created on other platforms can be copied in too.
We know the dates. In Workspace, skills started rolling out on October 5, 2026; in the Gemini app they start on October 13. In both cases the rollout is expected to finish in mid-November. In the app they are meant for Workspace customers and for anyone with a personal Google account, even a free one. Skills do not sync between the Gemini app and Workspace: if you want them in both places, you create them twice.
On the fate of Gems the sources disagree. Google Workspace Updates and Android Authority write that on November 17, 2026 Gems move into the Gemini app Settings, but can still be created, edited and used. For business and enterprise accounts they stop working no earlier than March 1, 2027. The remaining ones become skill drafts. Administrators should get at least 30 days' notice. TechWyse tells a different story: from October 13 you can no longer create or edit Gems. On November 17 those on personal accounts turn into skills automatically. That is a single source, so we do not treat it as a fact.
We don't know when skills will reach your account, or whether they work well in Italian from day one. No source mentions prices, usage limits or quality of results. We have not read any independent tests. Android Authority explicitly says that for personal accounts, shutdown dates and details on automatic migration are missing.
What it means for a small business
This is our own reading of the sources. If you have built Gems, for example one that writes customer replies in your tone, those instructions are your work and it is worth not losing them. Skills promise more convenience, because you call them up inside the chat and combine more than one. The price is a bit of upkeep: two places to create them, dates to follow and a migration with missing details.
What to do
- List the Gems you really use and copy each one's instructions into a document of your own. TechWyse recommends reviewing your setups before October 13.
- Wait until you see skills in your account. The rollout is gradual.
- Recreate one skill at a time, starting with your most-used Gem. Test it on a case where you already know the right result.
- If you use Gemini both in the app and in Workspace, recreate the skill in both.
- With a work account, ask whoever administers it for the date that applies to your license. This is our own advice.
What to avoid
- Deleting Gems to make room. Until you know what happens to your account, they are your backup copy.
- Writing confidential data into the instructions. Customer lists, internal prices and passwords have no place in a skill. This is our own advice.
- Trusting a single page. On the Gem dates the sources do not match, so check Google's help pages when you decide.
A hypothetical example
Hypothetical example: a hairdresser uses a Gem called "Customer replies", which writes friendly messages in her direct tone. First she copies the instructions into a document. When she sees skills in the app, she creates one with the same text, tests it on an appointment request she has already handled and compares the two replies. She fixes a line about opening hours, then recreates the skill in her work account too. The old Gem stays where it is until she is sure the new one works.
The bottom line
Google is moving from Gems to skills, starting in the Gemini app on October 13, 2026, with different deadlines for personal, business and school accounts. On the Gem dates the sources do not match. For Italy confirmations are missing. The sensible move: copy your instructions, test one skill at a time, keep your Gems as long as you need them. If you already use Gems or have instructions you repeat to Gemini every day, write to us at info@sarabi.cloud and tell us your case.
Sources: Google Workspace Updates, Android Authority and TechWyse.
Have a similar case or a doubt? Write to us at info@sarabi.cloud.