Google Dreambeans AI app creates personalized stories from your digital life to fight doomscrolling

Google's Dreambeans, its weirdest-named AI tool to date, will turn your life into a cartoon

Google Labs, the tech giant's team devoted to experimental product design, has launched a new AI-fueled app for iOS and Android that will quite literally animate your life. Behold, Dreambeans. Why is it called that? We'll get to that later. First, what is it? Gozde Oznur, the product lead behind the new app, told TechCrunch that the idea is to use data culled from across your various Google services to generate a curated list of AI-illustrated "stories." These stories come in a variety of different shapes and forms, although -- in general -- they seem to be lifestyle suggestions. Oznur describes as "places to visit, topics to explore, things to try, upcoming trips, events that you should be aware of." Dreambeans generates these ideas based on a user's Google data. "With your permission, Dreambeans uses Personal Intelligence to connect information from Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search History, to curate a finite collection of daily stories designed to spark new ideas," the company says. So for instance, some stories may be geographical recommendations -- like suggesting a new coffee shop near where the user lives that they might be interested in. Or, as is the case in this marketing video, if you're getting a new dog and that event has been marked in your Google Calendar, Dreambeans might deliver some insights about what it's like to live with a new puppy. Still others stories may simply be news articles curated from the web, based on a user's past interests. Oznur said that the app has also been built as a doomscrolling antidote, in that it only provides users with a limited number of stories per day -- typically 10 to 14 of them. The idea is to get a few inspirational ideas and then go out and live your life, she said. A lot of companies are currently trying to court the user that is sick of phone addiction. I recently reviewed a startup, Bond, which also uses AI to auto-generate lifestyle suggestions for the user. What about privacy protections? According to Oznur, they are pretty solid. The only person with access to the app's stories is the user, she said. Users can also delete their data whenever they want, and can choose which Google services they want to connect to the tool. Finally, where did the name "Dreambeans" come from? The idea for the name was generated, in part, by the way the system works while you are asleep, she said. "The dream part is literal, because while you sleep, the app is working through everything across your connected apps, because, as you can imagine, it's a lot of data that it is distilling," Oznur said. "The beans part is about how you kind of start your day with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It has processed everything overnight and hands you a concentrated drop of inspiration in the morning." Dreambeans is currently only available for eligible U.S.-based Google AI Ultra subscribers on Android and iOS. However, there is also a waitlist that is available to users with a personal Google account.

Google's 'Dreambeans' experiment turns your data into bite-sized personalized stories

The app is launching today for Google AI Ultra subscribers, ages 18 and up, in the US on Android and iOS. The draw to doomscroll can be overwhelming at times, especially when you have nothing else going on. Google wants to help you avoid scrolling endlessly with the latest experiment to come out of Google Labs. That experiment is an app that dreams up a finite number of daily stories for you to read. Today, Google is rolling out a new Labs experiment called "Dreambeans." It's an app that uses AI capabilities, like Nano Banana 2 and Personal Intelligence, to "dream up" personalized daily stories meant to help you focus on what matters to you. For example, it could create a brief story on how to best welcome the new puppy you're bringing home later that day. To create these stories, the app uses Personal Intelligence to gather information from connected Google apps, like Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube, and Search history. Google states that Dreambeans requires permission to connect to at least one app to function. However, you'll be able to choose which apps it connects to and how many. Along with the short story, you'll also have the opportunity to dive deeper. At the bottom of the story, there will be a list of suggestions to further explore the topic. In regard to the earlier example, you may see options like "create a list of essentials for my puppy" or "direct me to the nearest dog park." Also, if there's a story you like, you'll be able to save it to your library so you can read it again later. The Dreambeans app is available for Android and iOS. At the moment, the app is only available for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US, ages 18 and up. Google is inviting others to join the waitlist, but you'll need to have a Google account.

Google just launched an app that turns your chaotic inbox into a daily storybook

Karandeep Singh Oberoi is a Durham College Journalism and Mass Media graduate who joined the Android Police team in April 2024, after serving as a full-time News Writer at Canadian publication MobileSyrup. Prior to joining Android Police, Oberoi worked on feature stories, reviews, evergreen articles, and focused on 'how-to' resources. Additionally, he informed readers about the latest deals and discounts with quick hit pieces and buyer's guides for all occasions. Oberoi lives in Toronto, Canada. When not working on a new story, he likes to hit the gym, play soccer (although he keeps calling it football for some reason🤔) and try out new restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area. Google Labs has a new experimental app, and it's called Dreambeans. The app's main aim is to serve up daily stories "that cut through the clutter and connect you to what matters," and it does so by leveraging existing AI tools like Personal Intelligence and Nano Banana 2. What is Google Search Labs? Experiment with Google's upcoming Search features Posts By Alan Truly Dreambeans essentially connects to your Google app, including Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube, Search history, and more. This piece of the puzzle is solved by Gemini's Personal Intelligence, which already has access to said apps (provided you've given the tool access). The goal is not to scroll forever, it's a finite collection of stories designed to spark new ideas and allow you to focus on what matters to you. Although not entirely clear as of right now, it looks like the app is a proactive one. Google shared an example where a user got a Gmail confirmation about their pet's treats being delivered. Dreambeans automatically surfaced training tips to use the treats. "It also referenced the Google Calendar reminder I have of my friend coming to town and provided recommendations of dog-friendly restaurants near me," wrote Google. All of this, in a story-like format with unique illustrations that reflect the people and places you frequent often. Google is likely framing this as an easy-to-use app that you use to get your day started. If and when a story catches your eye, you will have the option to tap it to dive deeper. In the above example, Dreambean can also point you to the nearest dog parks or suggest puppy training classes. You can then save your favorites to the app's library and go back to them anytime. Again, all of this will be in a story format. In cases where a story recommendation doesn't sit quite right, you'll be able to provide feedback and have the app fine tune future stories. "Or if Dreambeans missed something important, like a new hobby, you can provide that feedback and it will reflect in your future stories." It's worth noting that Dreambeans needs at least one connected app to function. It works best when all supported Google apps are connected. The new app is starting to roll out today for eligible Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US on both Android and iOS. Other users can join the waitlist. Learn more here.

New Google Labs 'Dreambeans' app is like a hyper-personalized Google Now

Google Labs today announced an experimental Dreambeans app on Android and iOS to "proactively dream up personalized daily stories that cut through the clutter and connect you to what matters." It leverages the same Personal Intelligence system used by the Gemini app and AI Mode to "curate stories that inspire and delight you." Dreambeans draws from Gmail, Google Calendar, Photos, YouTube, and Search history. During setup, users can specify which apps to connect to. Additionally, "choices you make in Dreambeans do not impact the ones you make for Personal Intelligence in other products." The goal is not to scroll forever, it's a finite collection of stories designed to spark new ideas and allow you to focus on what matters to you. You can provide feedback on recommendations that don't match and add your own, like new hobbies. Nano Banana 2 is used for illustrations with fullscreen artwork and a stories-like interface. For example, I got a Gmail confirmation that my puppy's treats were delivered and Dreambeans surfaced training tips for using them. It also referenced the Google Calendar reminder I have of my friend coming to town and provided recommendations of dog-friendly restaurants near me. Each story includes a unique illustration, reflecting the people and places you frequent the most. A chat interface lets you dive deeper, with Dreambeans also finding information from the web. In the same example: That could be pointing you to the nearest dog parks or suggesting puppy training classes. Save your favorites to your library and go back anytime. Google explains the name of the app as such: The "dream" is how the app works overnight to find meaning in the content overload across your connected apps. It then distills what it finds into "beans" - a fresh collection of stories brewed for you each morning. This experimental app is available for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US on Android and iOS starting today. All other users can join a waitlist (via Google Forms). It will be very interesting to see how Dreambeans gets applied to Google products. For example, "CC" from Google Labs just launched as Daily brief in the Gemini app.

I tried Google Labs' Dreambeans app -- and it finally broke my infinite scrolling habit

Google Labs' new Dreambeans app wants to turn your digital life into daily AI stories Google Labs today introduced Dreambeans, a new experimental AI app designed to curate a finite collection of personalized daily stories using information from across a your Google Workspace. According to the company, Dreambeans helps "cut through the clutter" by surfacing stories that connect users to information that matters to them. With permission, the app can use Google's Personal Intelligence to pull context from Google apps including Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search History. The app also offers a visual component, meaning, each story can be illustrated with personalized, AI-generated artwork. If a story involves the user or people close to them, Dreambeans can use Google Photos and Nano Banana 2 to paint their likeness directly into the scene instead of using generic stock imagery, with permission. Google Labs is Google's home for AI experiments If you haven't explored Google Labs yet, it's worth doing. It's full of hidden apps that most people don't talk enough about. As an added bonus, almost all of them are free. As Google's hot spot for AI experiments, users can actually sign up to get early access to AI products, share feedback and help shape technologies before they potentially become part of everyday Google products. Google describes Labs as a place to discover and try its latest experimental AI products. So it's easy to see how Dreambeans has built on that same experimental approach. Rather than presenting an endless feed, the app is described as creating a limited set of daily stories designed to spark new ideas. Dreambeans rolls out to Google AI Ultra subscribers ages 18+ today Dreambeans will roll out to Google AI Ultra subscribers ages 18 and up in the U.S. on Android and iOS. Others will be able to join a waitlist using a personal Google account. The app is another example of Google's broader push toward more personal and proactive AI experiences. Instead of waiting for users to search, ask a question or open a specific app, Dreambeans is designed to bring together information across Google services and turn them into a curated daily experience for you. What to excpect with Dreambeans Your daily stories can feature you, your loved ones and even your pets instead of relying on generic illustrations. To make that possible, the app uses Face Grouping, a Google Photos feature that automatically identifies and groups similar faces together. Users can opt in during Dreambeans onboarding or enable the feature directly in Google Photos by going to Photos Settings > Group Similar Faces and toggling it on. Those who prefer generic illustrations can decline the prompt or skip Face Grouping altogether. I appreciated right away the custom watercolor-style images that included me, key people in my life and even pets. Because Dreambeans' stories are tailored to each user, they do not exist until setup is complete. Google recommends connecting all four supported sources -- Workspace, Photos, YouTube and Search -- for the richest experience. After setup, Dreambeans enters what Google calls the "brewing" phase, where it generates your first finite set of stories. I was surprised by how long that curating process took -- nearly an hour -- but the result was more personal than a typical AI feed. The stories can include places to visit, topics to explore, things to try or events you might like. Tapping a card opens the full story, which Google describes as a concise, 30-second deep dive. You can read it quickly, skip it or act on it depending on what feels useful. And while the daily stories are finite, you can save or bookmark favorites to build a personal library organized by categories such as Travel, Wellness, Pets and Tech. Final thoughts I believe this app will be most useful for people who already rely heavily on Google's ecosystem. But it also raises an obvious question: how much personal context are users willing to give an AI app in exchange for a more relevant daily feed? I turned off Personal Intelligence so I'm curious if Dreambeans will feel different. Right now, it feels as though Dreambans could turn Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search History into something closer to a personalized AI magazine or daily diary. Overall, I have no doubts that its appeal will likely depend on whether users trust Google to turn their personal context into something useful, private and worth opening every day. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.

Google's new AI app wants to replace endless scrolling with stories about your own life

Dreambeans is Google's most direct argument yet that the problem with social media isn't the content, it's the infinite feed. Most apps are designed to keep you on them as long as possible, especially content consumption apps where you scroll a never-ending feed of content. Dreambeans, a new experimental app from Google Labs, does the opposite. It gives you a small collection of AI-illustrated stories each morning and sends you off to live your actual life. What kind of stories does Dreambeans actually generate? While you sleep, the app collects the required data from your Google apps and services, including Gmail, Calendar, Google Photos, YouTube, along with your search history, and curates them into a set of 10 to 14 personalized stories. Recommended Videos The stories are lifestyle suggestions based on your interests and activities. They could contain a coffee shop suggestion near where you live (based on the places you've searched), insights about an upcoming vacation marked in your calendar, or ideas related to a hobby YouTube keeps surfacing. Some stories include an action, such as a link to buy a ticket or book a show. Every story is illustrated with AI-generated artwork personalized using Google Photos and Nano Banana 2. If a Dreambeans story involves you or people you know, the app uses your Photos face grouping and includes them in the scene. Who can use it and what is the catch? For now, Dreambeans is only available to Google AI Ultra subscribers aged 18 and older in the United States, on both Android and iOS devices. To me, it looks like Google is keeping the audience deliberately small, as the AI Ultra is its most expensive subscription tier. It costs $100 per month. And yes, privacy-conscious users can choose which services connect to the app and delete their data at any point through the in-app settings. Dreambeans choices do not affect preferences in Gemini or AI Mode either. The app also includes a feedback system. Since it is in the experimental phase, the app might show some irrelevant stories or inaccurate visuals. Whether users trained on years of infinite scroll will actually want a daily content limit is the real experiment here, I'd say.

Meet Dreambeans, an app that connects you with what matters

In a world of endless scrolling and digital noise, Google Labs is introducing our latest experiment: Dreambeans. It uses Google's latest AI capabilities, like Personal Intelligence and Nano Banana 2, to proactively dream up personalized daily stories that cut through the clutter and connect you to what matters. Get a daily dose of inspiration, brewed fresh for you With your permission, Dreambeans uses Personal Intelligence to connect information from your Google apps, including Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube and Search history to curate stories that inspire and delight you. The goal is not to scroll forever, it's a finite collection of stories designed to spark new ideas and allow you to focus on what matters to you. For example, I got a Gmail confirmation that my puppy's treats were delivered and Dreambeans surfaced training tips for using them. It also referenced the Google Calendar reminder I have of my friend coming to town and provided recommendations of dog-friendly restaurants near me. Each story includes a unique illustration, reflecting the people and places you frequent the most.

Google's 'Dreambeans' App Generates 'News Stories' Based on Your Life

Dreambeans is only available to AI Ultra subscribers at this time, but all Google users can sign up for the waitlist. News aggregators are good at keeping you hooked. It's impossible to look at every story in your feed, so you continue to scroll until you can no longer stand looking at your phone. But it seems Google has an alternative pitch: an app that generates personalized "news" stories based on what's going on in your life -- an app that's intended to curb your scrolling, not enable it. How Google's new "Dreambeans" app works Google Labs announced "Dreambeans" on Wednesday. The idea is this: You connect all your Google apps to Dreambeans -- Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube, or your account's Search history -- and it pores over your messages, calendars, what have you, looking for events or activities that are important to you. From there, it generates faux articles that you can learn from, and which are directly tied to the happenings in your personal life. You only need to connect one app to get things working, but Google's pitch makes it seem like the more apps you connect, the better the article output will be. Here's an example from Google: You receive an email confirming that your dog's training treat order is on the way. Dreambeans sees this when looking through your Gmail inbox, and generates a story featuring tips for using the treats to properly train your dog. In another example, Dreambeans taps into Google Calendar and sees you have a friend visiting town this weekend. Because Dreambeans knows you have a dog, it decides to generate a story highlighting dog-friendly restaurants near your house that you and your friend could try -- along with your pet, of course. If you decide you're interested in any particular Dreambeans story, you're able to "dive deeper." Google says Dreambeans will pull information from the internet to add more context to the story, similar to how AI Overviews or AI Mode work in Search -- maybe a story about using the training treats also contains information about local dog parks or nearby puppy training camps. Google says you can save any story to Dreambeans' library. As with other AI products, you're able to give Dreambeans feedback, which may adjust the story you're looking at or impact future story generations. Google says that each of these stories comes with a "unique illustration," generated using Nano Banana 2. Dreambeans may even pull from your Google Photos library for these AI illustrations, if the story involves you or someone you know. Why is it called Dreambeans? The general concept makes sense: connect your apps and receive AI-generated stories about things that might matter to you. But what doesn't make much sense is the name: What does Dreambeans even mean? Here's Google's explanation: Dreambeans is a combination of, you guessed it, "dream" and "beans." The "dream" part describes the way Dreambeans looks through your apps overnight to find things to "report" on. Those findings are then refined into "beans," the stories themselves. Sure Google. Dreambeans isn't great for privacy If you do decide to take Dreambeans for a spin, know that the app is not particularly focused on user privacy. The App Store listing's "App Privacy" page shows that Google collects the following data points from you and links them to your identity: * Purchases * Contact info * User Content * Identifiers * Diagnostics * Location * Contacts * Search History * Usage Data * Other Data In addition, Dreambeans has access to any apps you connect to it. If you connect your Gmail, it can root through your inbox; if you connect YouTube, it sees your watch history. While Google says you can delete your Dreambeans data at any time, know what you're getting into. (Though, seeing as this is a Google product, the company already has much of this data across your other Google products.) You can only try Dreambeans if you're a paid subscriber (for now) As of this writing, Dreambeans is only available to AI Ultra subscribers who are 18 or older. As such, unless you're paying $100 per month for Google's most expensive AI subscription, you won't be able to use Dreambeans just yet. Still, the rest of us will get the chance to try it sooner rather than later. Google's official Dreambeans website has a waitlist that all users with a Google Account can add their names to. The app itself is currently available to download on iOS and Android.

Google launches Dreambeans, an AI app that curates daily stories from Google data

Google launches Dreambeans, an AI app that curates daily stories from Google data Google LLC today launched Dreambeans, an experimental app from its Google Labs division that uses artificial intelligence to assemble a finite set of personalized daily stories drawn from a user's own Google data. The app is pitched as an alternative to the bottomless feed. Rather than serving an endless stream of content, Dreambeans curates a fixed collection of stories each day that Google says are meant to spark ideas and point users toward things they care about, then stops. With the user's permission, Dreambeans draws on Google's Personal Intelligence technology to pull information from Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Photos, YouTube and Search history. It uses those signals to generate stories tied to a person's recent activity and upcoming plans. In one example Google described, a Gmail receipt for delivered puppy treats prompted the app to surface training tips, while a calendar entry for a visiting friend led to recommendations for nearby dog-friendly restaurants. Each story carries its own illustration generated by Google's Nano Banana 2 image model. When a story involves the user or people they know, the app can pull from Google Photos to paint their likeness into the artwork rather than using stock imagery. Tapping into a story lets users dig further, with Dreambeans pulling in information from across the web to suggest next steps such as finding a dog park or booking a training class. Stories can be saved to a library for later. Users can also tune the output. Feedback on a recommendation that misses the mark feeds into the next day's collection and users can flag interests the app has overlooked. Dreambeans requires at least one connected app to work and performs best with all of them enabled, according to Google. The company said choices made inside Dreambeans do not affect Personal Intelligence settings in other products such as the Gemini apps or AI Mode. The release continues a run of Personal Intelligence experiments out of Google Labs. In December the division began testing an agent called CC that compiles a daily "Your Day Ahead" email briefing by mining Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive. Dreambeans applies a similar premise to a different format, trading the inbox digest for a visual, story-based feed. Both reflect a wider industry push to turn the personal data already sitting in cloud accounts into proactive, AI-generated summaries and both raise the question of how much access users will grant a single app across services they have historically kept separate. Dreambeans addresses that directly by making each data connection opt-in and adjustable. Dreambeans is rolling out today for eligible Google AI Ultra subscribers aged 18 and over in the U.S. on Android and iOS. Others can join a waitlist on the Google Labs website using a personal Google account.

Google Labs' New Dreambeans App Now Available

The Google Labs team has cooked up Dreambeans, an app powered by Personal Intelligence and other Google AI capabilities. The app connects to your various Google services, such as Gmail, Calendar, Photos, YouTube, and your search history. With all of this information, Dreambeans curates stories and helpful to-dos. For example, if you have a new puppy on the way, Dreambeans will recommend a to-do list for ensuring you have everything you need. The app contains all AI-generated images, powered by Nano Banana 2 using inspiration based on photos of you from Google Photos. Dreambeans is available first to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US on Android and iOS. If that's not you, you can join the waitlist by following the link below. Join the Waitlist App Links: Google Play | App Store