Magic Cue is fairly private by cloud-AI standards, but it sees a lot. Google introduced it on the Pixel 10 as a feature that uses on-device machine learning to scan your email, messages and notes and surface relevant information during a text conversation or phone call, such as a booking confirmation when someone asks for the details. On the Pixel 11 it became Proactive Assistance, part of a wider “Gemini Intelligence” system that uses both Google’s cloud Gemini models and on-device Gemma models. Whether it’s private enough for you depends on which parts run where, and how comfortable you are with an assistant that reads your inbox by default.
What is Magic Cue? #
Most assistants are reactive: they do nothing until you ask. Magic Cue is proactive: it watches the context you’re in and offers help before you ask.
| Reactive assistant | Proactive assistant | |
|---|---|---|
| When it acts | Only when you ask | Whenever it spots something relevant |
| What it can see | What you type or share | Your apps and on-screen context, continuously |
| Examples | A chatbot, a voice assistant you trigger | Magic Cue, Proactive Assistance, suggestion chips |
| Privacy trade-off | You choose each piece of data it gets | It needs standing access to personal data |
According to descriptions of the Pixel 10 launch, Magic Cue draws on Google apps including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Messages and Keep, and shows suggestions inside conversations and calls. It arrived with the Pixel 10, announced on August 20, 2025. The Pixel 11, announced on August 12, 2026 with the Tensor G6 chip, replaced it with Proactive Assistance.
Does Magic Cue send your data to Google? #
The core of Magic Cue was built to run with on-device machine learning, which means the matching of your messages against your email and calendar happens on the phone. That’s much better than uploading your inbox to a server so a model can scan it.
Three caveats keep it from being a simple yes:
- Your data is already in Google’s cloud. Gmail, Calendar and Keep store your data on Google’s servers regardless of Magic Cue. On-device processing means the feature doesn’t add a new upload; it doesn’t make the underlying data local.
- The Pixel 11 system is hybrid. Gemini Intelligence is powered by cloud Gemini models as well as on-device Gemma models. Some suggestions and actions may involve the cloud, depending on the feature.
- Anything you hand to the Gemini app is a cloud request. Chats with Gemini are stored with your account and a subset is reviewed by humans, as Google’s Gemini Apps Privacy Hub explains. Magic Cue suggestions and a Gemini chat are covered by different arrangements.
For the on-device part, Google runs its small models through Android’s AICore service, which is designed to isolate each request and not keep a record of inputs or outputs. We explain that in what is Android AICore.
Why a proactive assistant needs more trust #
A reactive tool only ever sees what you give it. A proactive one has to read everything it might be useful for, all the time, to spot the moment to help. Even if every step stays on the phone, that’s a different relationship with your data:
- It reads messages from people who never agreed to have an AI scan them.
- It connects information across apps, such as a text, an email and a calendar entry, which is exactly the kind of profile people worry about.
- Its suggestions can surface private details on screen at awkward moments, such as when you’re sharing your screen or handing someone your phone.
None of that means you should turn it off. It means it’s worth deciding on purpose rather than accepting the default.
How to check your settings #
Google’s controls change between software versions, so look for the feature by name:
- Open Settings and search for Magic Cue or Proactive Assistance.
- Check which apps it can draw from, and remove any you’d rather keep out, if your version offers that.
- Turn it off entirely if you don’t use the suggestions.
- Separately, review Gemini Apps activity in your Google account if you use the Gemini app.
Our guide to phone AI privacy settings covers the other AI switches on Pixel, Galaxy and iPhone.
Questions to ask before enabling any proactive AI #
- Which apps and data can it read? Email, messages, photos, location, screen content?
- Where does the processing happen? On the phone, in the cloud, or both?
- Can you limit it to certain apps?
- Does it keep anything it learned, and can you delete it?
- What happens with messages from other people?
If the answers aren’t clear from the settings screen, the safe assumption is that the feature reads more than you’d guess.
A reactive alternative that only sees what you share #
If you like having AI help with messages and plans but don’t want anything reading your inbox in the background, a reactive, on-device assistant is the opposite design. You paste in the one message you want help with, and that’s all it ever sees.
Personal LLM works that way. It runs open models such as Qwen 3.5, Gemma 4 and Ministral 3 on your phone, doesn’t connect to your email, messages or calendar, and doesn’t run in the background. There’s no account, and after a one-time model download it works with no connection, so the text you share stays on the phone. You lose the convenience of automatic suggestions; you gain full control over what the AI knows. It’s also available on phones that don’t have Pixel’s features, from Android 7 and iOS 15.1. For how to give a local AI useful context without handing over your data, see how to personalize an AI chatbot without sharing your data.
Frequently asked questions #
Does Magic Cue send my data to Google? #
Magic Cue was designed to use on-device machine learning, so the scanning itself happens on the phone. The data it draws on, like Gmail and Calendar, is already stored in your Google account, and the Pixel 11’s wider Gemini Intelligence system also uses cloud models for some features.
What replaced Magic Cue? #
On the Pixel 11, announced in August 2026, Magic Cue was updated and renamed Proactive Assistance. It’s part of Gemini Intelligence, Google’s set of AI tools and suggestions across Android and select apps.
Which phones have Magic Cue? #
Magic Cue launched with the Pixel 10 series in August 2025. The Pixel 11 series has its successor, Proactive Assistance. It’s a Pixel feature, so other Android phones don’t have it under that name.
Can I turn off Magic Cue? #
Look in Settings for Magic Cue or Proactive Assistance. The exact options vary by software version, but you can review the feature there and decide whether to keep it on.
Is Magic Cue the same as Gemini? #
No. Magic Cue is a Pixel feature that offers suggestions from your apps during conversations and calls. Gemini is Google’s chatbot and model family. The Pixel 11’s Gemini Intelligence brings them closer, using cloud Gemini models alongside on-device Gemma models.