Kamal Ghorui
Google quietly published a new app called COSMO to the Play Store on May 1, only to pull it within hours. The listing described it as “an experimental AI assistant application for Android devices”—which, given the timing just weeks before Google I/O 2026, looks a lot like a teaser that slipped out ahead of schedule.The app was filed under the package name com.google.research.air.cosmo, pointing to Google Research as the source—though it was published on the company’s main Play Store account, not a labs or beta channel. At 1.13 GB, it bundled a full local Gemini Nano model. A settings menu offered three inference modes: Nano-only for offline use, a server-side “PI” model (likely “Personal Intelligence”), or a hybrid that toggles between the two based on connectivity.
A testbed packed with skills Google hasn’t launched yet
COSMO came loaded with 14 listed “Skills”—not all enabled by default. The lineup included a List Tracker, Calendar Event Suggester, and a Browser Agent powered by Mariner, Google’s in-house web automation tool. A Deep Research mode promised multi-source reports for complex queries, while a Conversation Summary feature would automatically recap recently ended exchanges when you switched topics. As 9to5Google noted, the app also tapped Android’s AccessibilityService API for screen access—a powerful hook—though that feature wasn’t fully working in testing. Voice Match setup was available too.
Google’s COSMO may launch later this month at I/O
The Play Store listing had all the hallmarks of an accidental drop. Screenshots were squished into wrong aspect ratios, and availability was patchy even on Pixel hardware. 9to5Google first spotted the app before it disappeared. What’s still unclear is how COSMO fits alongside the existing Gemini app—whether it’s a standalone product, a feature incubator, or something folded in entirely. Google I/O 2026, starting May 19, should answer that.
