Ask Gemini in Chrome arrives in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa
AI
Published: 2026-06-12T17:08:24 · Updated: 2026-06-12T15:08:24Z
Google is expanding its AI-powered browser experience to three of Africa's biggest tech markets — and for once, the continent isn't an afterthought.
The company has confirmed that Ask Gemini in Chrome is now rolling out to Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, part of a broader expansion that covers 55 African countries in total. The update lands on desktop and iOS first, with Android users able to access Gemini by holding the power button in Chrome and other apps.
The Full African Rollout
All 55 African locales included in the expansion:
> Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
What's Actually Changing for Users
The headline feature is the Chrome side panel. Instead of opening new tabs and losing your place, Ask Gemini lives right alongside whatever page you're on. From there it can:
- 📝 Summarize long articles instantly
- ❓ Answer questions about the page you're reading
- 🧠 Create quizzes from content
- 🔖 Recall pages you visited earlier — so you can finally close those tabs you've been hoarding
Deep Google Integration
Ask Gemini in Chrome doesn't stop at the browser. It connects with the wider Google ecosystem — Gmail, Maps, Calendar and YouTube — letting users:
- Draft and send emails without leaving a page
- Schedule meetings directly from the side panel
- Check location details on the fly
- Ask questions about YouTube videos mid-browse
It also works across multiple open tabs, making it easier to compare information, consolidate research, and pull together tables from different websites in one go.
Image Editing, Right in the Browser
One of the more unexpected additions is Nano Banana 2 inside Chrome. Users can now transform images found online using a simple text prompt — directly from the side panel, no file uploads, no new tabs. Google positions it as a tool for quick tasks like interior design planning or visual experimentation, all without leaving your current page.
Security Built In
Google says these AI features were built with safeguards to reduce risks like prompt injection. Chrome will also ask for user confirmation before taking sensitive actions — like sending an email or adding a calendar event — so the AI isn't operating completely on autopilot.
Who Can Access It
Ask Gemini in Chrome is rolling out to all Mac, Windows and Chromebook Plus users in supported markets. Google says the expansion into more regions and languages will continue through the year.
For users in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, this is more than a browser update — it's a signal that Google is taking African markets seriously as a destination for its most ambitious AI products, not just an aftermarket add-on.