Google’s Gemini is inching closer to deeper, account‑wide access to users’ own content while Google Docs is already getting smarter about using linked files as the authoritative sources for writing help.
What’s new
Recent app teardowns and product updates point to two related upgrades across Google’s AI tools:
- A leaked Android app teardown shows Gemini’s Deep Research could gain a “Sources” control that lets users toggle entire repositories — Search, Gmail, Drive and Chat — as the sources Gemini searches when compiling research. The same interface would still allow uploading specific files.
- Separately, the Gemini side panel in Google Docs is rolling out a “Document links” grounding option that automatically uses files and web links you’ve hyperlinked in a doc as trusted sources for writing assistance. That feature is already rolling out to many paid Workspace tiers and AI subscribers.
- Planning a client workshop: Gemini could assemble agenda drafts from Drive, check scheduling details in Gmail threads, and reconcile action items from Chat.
- Writing a market brief: A researcher could ground output in uploaded PDFs plus Drive folders and archived emails while excluding open web sources to avoid unverified content.
- APK teardowns indicate intent but not final features; interfaces and capabilities may change before public release.
- The Google Docs “Document links” grounding is being rolled out to paid tiers now; the Deep Research Sources control is currently visible only in test builds.
- Whether the Sources control appears in web versions of Gemini and in NotebookLM or other Google AI products.
- How Google surfaces admin controls, audit logs and selective exclusions for sensitive folders or labels.
- Whether additional repositories (Calendar, Photos, Contacts) are added to the Sources list and how Workspace pricing tiers handle access.
Taken together, the changes would move Gemini from a file‑by‑file analyzer to a tool that can sweep whole inboxes and Drives (when allowed) or stick strictly to a curated set of links you trust.
How the new Deep Research sources would work
The teardown discovered UI strings and a Sources toggle in the Google app. Instead of selecting individual files from Camera, Gallery, Files or Drive, the new flow appears to let users enable whole repositories (e.g., Gmail or Drive) so Gemini can search across an account. Uploading individual files would remain possible and could be combined with whole‑account searches.
Android Authority, which ran the teardown, confirmed that when toggled on Gemini could see a user’s entire Drive and Gmail during testing — though it was not yet producing finished research reports in that build. As with any APK teardown, features seen in code are works‑in‑progress and may change or never ship.
Google Docs: grounding answers in your linked sources
A related but already rolling update impacts writing workflows. The Gemini side panel in Google Docs can now auto‑collect sources you’ve hyperlinked in the document and offer a “Document links” option to ground its suggestions strictly in those links. Chrome Unboxed reported the feature is being made available to paid Workspace subscribers (Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus), Gemini Business/Enterprise customers, Google AI Pro for Education, and Google One AI Premium subscribers.
That change reduces the need to paste or attach files manually and helps ensure Gemini’s writing suggestions are tied to a document’s explicitly cited sources rather than the broader web.
Why this matters: productivity and accuracy
For knowledge workers, much of the context for decisions lives inside email threads, meeting notes, spreadsheets and shared Drives — not the public web. Analysts note that workers spend a significant chunk of time hunting for information; access to inboxes and Drives could let Gemini pull agenda drafts, verify dates from threads, and synthesize attachments in a single pass.
Use‑case examples:
Allowing users to omit the web entirely — and to explicitly select trusted repositories — is a feature proponents say will improve accuracy and relevance.
Privacy, controls and enterprise governance
Deeper, account‑wide access raises predictable privacy and governance questions. Google has previously said it does not train its models on Workspace customer content without customer consent and points to admin tools such as data loss prevention and classification for enterprise controls.
Experts and early writeups expect Google to surface granular toggles, per‑user permissions and audit trails before broad rollout, particularly for Workspace customers. For consumers, clear on‑device prompts and the ability to restrict which labels, folders or accounts Gemini can index will be essential.
Google’s approach will be watched closely by regulators and enterprise IT teams given the scale involved: Gmail and Drive each count among Google’s largest properties (Gmail has more than 1.5 billion users; Drive and Workspace are used by billions according to company estimates). Small UX or policy changes can have outsized implications when multiplied across massive user bases.
How this stacks up against competitors
Microsoft has advanced a Graph‑grounded Copilot that pulls from Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams. Other products — such as Notion’s Q&A, enterprise search systems, and plugin ecosystems for OpenAI’s tools — have similar retrieval‑augmented capabilities. Native, seamless access to Gmail and Drive could give Gemini an onboarding and permissions advantage for organizations already invested in Workspace.
Caveats and what to watch next
Key signals to monitor in coming weeks and months:
The balancing act
The potential productivity gains from letting an AI sweep your inbox and Drive are clear — faster synthesis, fewer manual file hunts, and outputs grounded in your organization’s documents. But those advantages hinge on strong permissions, transparent controls and enterprise governance to ensure sensitive content remains protected.
For now, the updates signal Google’s continued push to make Gemini more tightly integrated with the daily tools people use. The timing and scope of a public rollout remain uncertain, but the direction — more granular source control and better grounding in trusted, linked material — is becoming unmistakable.