Gemini Spark (now Task mode): what Google's AI agent does, and why the UK can't use it yet

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Google's announcement of Gemini Spark, the 24/7 personal AI agent in the Gemini app

Gemini Spark is Google's personal AI agent: it works in Google's cloud around the clock, carrying out multi-step tasks across Gmail, Docs, Drive and the web for you. Since mid-October 2026 it lives inside the Gemini app as Task mode. It needs Google AI Pro (£18.99 a month in the UK) or Ultra (from £79.99). But as of 18 October 2026 Google excludes the UK, so paying won't unlock it here. Know this first: it only works with Keep Activity on, which lets Google train its AI on your activity.

Last updated 21 October 2026. Written by Annie, a search and digital marketing specialist. Based on official documentation, pricing pages and video tutorials; I have not tested it hands-on. See the editorial policy.

Key facts

  • What it is: A personal AI agent in the Gemini app that runs tasks and schedules in Google's cloud, now called Task mode
  • Made by: Google
  • Price: Google AI Pro (£18.99 a month) or Ultra (£79.99 or £189.99 a month), UK prices as of 18 October 2026
  • Free plan or trial: No free tier; Google's UK page advertises a Pro trial, but it won't bring Task mode here
  • Runs on: The Gemini web app and the Gemini apps for Android, iPhone and Mac
  • What you need: A personal Google account, age 18 or over, Pro or Ultra, Keep Activity and Personal Intelligence on, and a supported country
  • Open source: No
  • Available in the UK: No, as of 18 October 2026 (nor the EEA, Switzerland or Nigeria)
  • Best for: Pro and Ultra subscribers in supported countries who live in Gmail, Calendar and Docs
  • Official site: gemini.google.com
Gemini Spark at a glance: needs Google AI Pro at £18.99 a month or Ultra at £79.99 or £189.99, no free tier, runs in the Gemini web app and apps for Android, iPhone and Mac, not available in the UK as of 18 October 2026, not open source, best for Pro and Ultra subscribers in supported countries
Gemini Spark, now called Task mode, at a glance. Prices and availability checked against Google's pages on 18 October 2026.

On this page

What is Gemini Spark?

Spark is an AI agent, not just a chatbot. You give it a goal, such as "archive this week's newsletters", and it plans the steps, uses your connected apps and websites, and reports back, even with your laptop shut.

It has four building blocks:

  • Tasks: the goal you hand over.
  • Schedules: when it runs, at a set time or after an event such as a flight delay.
  • Skills: reusable instructions, such as your writing style.
  • Browsers and a computer: a cloud browser or your desktop Chrome, plus a remote computer that runs code and makes PDFs, spreadsheets and slides. TNW reported that Spark runs on dedicated Google Cloud virtual machines.

Google announced Spark on 19 May 2026, built on Gemini 3.5. Its help page says beta users kept using the word "tasks", so the feature is now called Task, or Tasks in Gemini. It is separate from Google Cloud's business Gemini agent for work.

Is Gemini Spark available in the UK?

No. Google's help page, checked 18 October 2026, says tasks work wherever Gemini does "except in the European Economic Area, Nigeria, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom". The UK has missed every stage, from the US beta in May to the 30 July expansion to Pro subscribers in more than 160 other countries. Google gives no reason and no UK date. Personal Intelligence, which tasks require, is also unavailable here.

Google help page for Tasks in Gemini, formerly Gemini Spark, listing the UK as not available
Google's help page for tasks in Gemini, which excludes the UK, on 18 October 2026. Screenshot: aiagents.org.uk.

Can you use a VPN to get Gemini Spark in the UK?

Not within the rules. Google ties every account to a country, and its UK terms ban "bypassing our systems or protective measures". I wouldn't point an agent at your inbox through a workaround.

What UK users can use instead

  • Gemini in Chrome: the side-panel assistant reached UK desktops on 14 July 2026, though its auto browse agent isn't offered here.
  • Gemini chat features: skills, scheduled actions and Deep Research, with no UK exclusion listed.
  • ChatGPT Dots: available here on a Business Premium seat.
  • Self-hosted agents: OpenClaw or Hermes Agent, on hardware you control.

What's new in Gemini Spark in October 2026?

  • 14 October: Android Authority confirmed the Task button on iPhone; the web version hadn't appeared.
  • 13 October: Google's Gemini 4 Argon post described "a simple toggle from chat to tasks" for Pro and Ultra. The release notes say you can now connect more than 40 apps, most of them in US English only.
  • 12 October: 9to5Google reported the Android redesign: Chat and Task buttons, a Scheduled page, one combined history, and settings renamed Task settings.

On 30 September Google also rolled skills into ordinary Gemini chat worldwide, saying they will replace Gems.

How much does Gemini Spark cost in the UK?

Google's official prices, as of 18 October 2026:

Bar chart of the Google AI plans that include Gemini Spark, in UK pounds a month: AI Pro £18.99, AI Ultra £79.99 and £189.99; Task mode itself is not yet available in the UK
Google's UK subscription prices including VAT. Task mode is not switched on for UK accounts yet, so these are the plans you would need once it is. Checked 18 October 2026.
Google AI Pro and Ultra UK prices in pounds, the plans Gemini Spark needs
Google's UK plans page, with AI Pro at £18.99 and AI Ultra from £79.99 a month, on 18 October 2026. Screenshot: aiagents.org.uk.
PlanUK priceUS priceIncludes Spark/Task?
Free£0$0No
Google AI Plus£4.49 a month$4.99 a monthNo
Google AI Pro£18.99 a month$19.99 a monthYes, outside excluded countries
Google AI Ultra (5x)£79.99 a month$99.99 a monthYes, higher limits, first access to new features
Google AI Ultra (20x)£189.99 a month$199.99 a monthYes, highest limits

Google's UK plans page doesn't say whether VAT is included, and a UK subscription still brings no Task mode. Other costs:

  • Usage limits: based on computing effort, refreshing every five hours up to a weekly cap. Google sells AI credits to stretch them.
  • Purchases: anything Spark books goes on your card.
  • Cancelling: running tasks finish, but schedules pause.

Compare what AI agents cost in the UK.

What do you need to use Gemini Spark?

  • A supported country, which rules out the UK.
  • A personal Google account (not work or school) and to be 18 or over.
  • Google AI Pro or Ultra.
  • Keep Activity and Personal Intelligence switched on.
  • The Gemini web or mobile app, or the Mac app for local files.

How do you get access?

From the UK, you can't yet, and subscribing won't change that. In a supported country, Google's help pages describe this route:

  1. Subscribe to Google AI Pro or Ultra on a personal Google account.
  2. Turn on Keep Activity in Gemini Apps activity.
  3. Turn on Personal Intelligence and connect only the apps your first task needs.
  4. Open Task mode at gemini.google.com or in the Mac app, using Task below the text box.
  5. Describe the job and when it should run. Type @ to add a skill, or "set up" for a guided start.
  6. Submit. Success is a task thread whose progress chip shows completed, current and planned steps.

How do you use Gemini Spark? First things to try

Start where a mistake costs nothing. UK readers can try most of these as scheduled actions in ordinary Gemini chat.

  1. Newsletter clear-out: "Summarise this week's newsletters. Unsubscribe from nothing yet."
  2. Morning briefing: "Every weekday at 8am, list my meetings and emails needing replies."
  3. Price watch: "Tell me if March flights from Heathrow to Lisbon drop below £200."
  4. Delay trigger: "If my flight is delayed, suggest a new plan. Book nothing."
  5. Research file: "Turn research on heat pump grants in England into a two-page PDF with sources."

Best Gemini Spark video tutorials

Video: Kevin Stratvert on YouTube.

Kevin Stratvert covers a first task, a custom skill, recurring schedules and a daily briefing in seven minutes.

VideoChannelLengthUploadedBest for
Gemini Spark Tutorial in 7 MinutesKevin Stratvert7:008 June 2026Fastest beginner overview
Introducing Gemini Spark ✨Google (official)1:5920 May 2026Google's own pitch
Master Gemini Spark in 15 Minutes (Easy Setup Guide)Paul J Lipsky14:3529 May 2026Step-by-step setup
Gemini Spark: Google’s Most Powerful Personal AgentJeff Su15:4330 June 2026Workspace workflows
Where Did Gemini Spark Go? How to Use Gemini Tasks NowYortacus Ai2:502 Oct 2026The rename to Tasks

Watch Kevin Stratvert first, then Yortacus, because most tutorials predate the rename.

LinkWhat it's for
Gemini web appWhere Task mode lives
Manage your tasksRequirements, countries, safety
Schedules for tasksTime and event triggers
What's new for Gemini SparkGoogle's changelog
Tasks on MacLocal files
Google AI plans (UK)Prices in pounds
Gemini Apps Privacy HubTraining and retention

Is Gemini Spark safe? Privacy, security and UK GDPR

Spark has sensible brakes, but Google calls it experimental and says your supervision matters most. I would give it low-stakes jobs only.

What it can reach. Gmail, Calendar, Drive and other Workspace apps, Contacts, Photos, third-party apps and sites you're signed into in Chrome, plus, with permission, passwords in Google Password Manager. On a Mac, it edits folders you connect.

What it asks first. It should confirm before sending, changing data, buying or submitting forms, and you take over for passwords and card details. Two gaps: it can bulk-edit Google Tasks without asking, and a schedule running while you're offline may finish an unintended action.

Training. Tasks need Keep Activity on, and the Privacy Hub says Google then uses your activity to improve its services, "including training generative AI models", with human reviewers. Reviewed chats are kept up to three years even after deletion. Chats aren't used for ads.

Where data goes. The cloud browser keeps sign-in cookies, the remote computer keeps files, and Gemini may share your name and files with websites. Delete both in Task settings after sensitive jobs.

Known incidents. I found no reported breach involving Spark itself as of 18 October 2026; Google's help page warns about prompt injection (hidden instructions in a page or email). In June 2026, SafeBreach showed crafted notifications could trick Gemini on Android; Google patched it.

UK GDPR. Google's privacy policy names Google LLC in California as controller for UK users. The ICO's agentic AI call for evidence closes on 20 November 2026. See our UK GDPR guide to AI agents.

Gemini Spark vs ChatGPT Dots, Meta Muse and other agents

As of 18 October 2026; "about" figures convert at $1 = £0.75.

AgentPriceWhere it runsUK availability
Gemini SparkPro £18.99 or Ultra from £79.99 a monthGoogle's cloud, your ChromeNo
ChatGPT DotsBusiness Premium seat, £75 a month billed yearly, two-seat minimumOpenAI's cloud computerYes, Business Premium or Enterprise
Meta MuseFree; paid from $20 a month (about £15)Meta's cloudNo, US and Canada only
Grok Bot$30, $100 or $200 a month (about £23, £75 or £150), plus VATxAI's cloudNot stated
Gemini agent for workNot publishedGoogle Cloud, for businessesNot stated
OpenClawFree (MIT licence), plus any model you connectYour own computerYes

For a UK individual, OpenClaw is the personal agent you can run today, if you're happy setting it up. UK firms can get ChatGPT Dots now. Google AI Pro subscribers should use skills and scheduled actions while they wait.

Who should use Gemini Spark?

Spark suits Pro and Ultra subscribers in supported countries whose email, calendar and documents already live with Google.

Skip it if you're in the UK, you don't want Google training on your activity, or you handle client or patient data. Our personal AI assistant guide covers private options.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gemini Spark available in the UK?

No. As of 18 October 2026, Google's help page says Gemini Spark, now Task mode, works wherever Gemini does except the European Economic Area, Nigeria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Google has given no reason or UK date, and a UK Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription doesn't include Gemini Spark.

What happened to Gemini Spark?

Google renamed Gemini Spark to Task, or Tasks in Gemini, in October 2026. 9to5Google reported Chat and Task buttons on Android on 12 October, and Google's 13 October post describes a toggle from chat to tasks. Existing Gemini Spark tasks and schedules sit in the sidebar and on a Scheduled page.

How much does Gemini Spark cost?

Gemini Spark needs Google AI Pro, £18.99 a month in the UK or $19.99 in the US, or Google AI Ultra, from £79.99 or $99.99 a month, as of 18 October 2026. There is no free tier, and Google's UK page doesn't say whether VAT is included.

Is Gemini Spark safe?

Gemini Spark asks before sending, buying or submitting forms and hands payments back to you, but Google calls it experimental. It requires Keep Activity on, so Google can train its AI on your activity with human reviewers. Use Gemini Spark for low-risk jobs only.

What can I use instead of Gemini Spark in the UK?

UK users can use Gemini in Chrome's side panel, plus skills and scheduled actions in Gemini chat, none of which need Gemini Spark. For a full agent, ChatGPT Dots works here on a Business Premium seat, and self-hosted OpenClaw or Hermes Agent run on your own hardware.

Gemini Spark vs ChatGPT Dots: which is better for UK users?

ChatGPT Dots wins for UK users by default, because a Business Premium seat gets you one here and Gemini Spark can't be had at all. Elsewhere, Gemini Spark is cheaper, from $19.99 a month on Pro, and suits people who already live in Gmail and Google Docs.

Sources

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