Google rolls out Answer Now option in Gemini app: Here’s how it works

Gemini

• Google adds "Answer Now" to Gemini app for faster replies from advanced models
• New feature allows skipping full reasoning for faster answers on Pro and Thinking models.
• Rolling out on Android, iOS, and web for both free and paid Gemini users

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Google has begun rolling out a new “Answer Now” option in its Gemini app, aimed at users who want quicker responses without waiting for the AI’s full reasoning process to complete. The feature is designed to strike a balance between speed and capability, especially when using Gemini’s more advanced models that typically take longer to respond.

The “Answer Now” button appears when users choose the Thinking or Pro models in the Gemini app. Normally, these models go through a visible reasoning or “thinking” phase, indicated by a spinning loading icon, before producing a detailed response. With the new option, users can tap “Answer Now” while the model is still processing, effectively skipping that extended reasoning phase and receiving a response almost immediately. Notably, the option does not appear when users are on the Fast model, which is already optimised for quick replies.

When the button is tapped, Gemini shows a brief prompt explaining that it is skipping in-depth thinking before generating the response. Google has clarified that even when “Answer Now” is used, the answer still comes from the same model originally selected by the user. In other words, Gemini does not silently switch to a faster or lighter model in the background. This means the response may still differ from what the Fast model would have produced, even though it arrives more quickly.

This distinction is important for users who rely on the Pro or Thinking models for more nuanced or higher-quality answers but occasionally want speed over depth. Instead of cancelling a response or switching models altogether, “Answer Now” offers a middle path: a quicker answer generated by a more capable model, just without its full reasoning cycle.

The feature is currently rolling out across Android, iOS and the web, and is available to both free users and paid subscribers. Some reports note that on iOS, the wording may still reflect older terminology in certain cases, suggesting the rollout is still being fine-tuned.

This update comes alongside recent changes to how Gemini handles usage limits for advanced models. Google has shifted from a shared quota system to model-specific daily caps, giving users clearer control over how they use Thinking and Pro models. Together, these updates signal Google’s broader effort to make Gemini more flexible, letting users decide when they want deeper reasoning and when they simply want an answer—now.