Chrome's enhanced autofill can now pull order numbers and flight bookings from Gmail with Gemini

Google has started letting Chrome's autofill reach into Gmail. In a post dated October 28, Chrome product manager Amanda Lim wrote that enhanced autofill can now propose information stored in a user's inbox while they complete an online form, sparing them a detour to search their email in another tab.

How it works

The feature relies on Gemini with Personal Intelligence, Google's system for letting its assistant draw on data from connected Google services. When a form asks for something like an order number, a parcel tracking code or a flight reservation, Chrome can look for the matching detail in Gmail and offer it. According to 9to5Google, these proposals appear in the usual autofill drop-down under a "Suggested by Gemini" label. Classic autofill continues to supply the basics, including names, postal addresses and payment cards.

9to5Google notes that the capability was first previewed by Google in May. The October 28 announcement marks the start of the actual rollout, rather than a test or a demonstration.

Who gets it

Availability is narrow for now. Google says the feature is reaching users in the United States only, on desktop as well as Chrome for Android and iOS, and only for people who use Gemini in Chrome and have switched on Personal Intelligence. Google did not say in its post whether a paid subscription is required, nor when other countries or languages will follow.

That last condition matters. When Google introduced Personal Intelligence in January, it stated that connecting apps such as Gmail is off by default and can be disabled at any time, and that Gemini does not train directly on the contents of a user's inbox. In other words, the Gmail lookup only applies to people who have already chosen to link their Google apps to Gemini.

Control and open questions

Google says sensitive data is encrypted and that users decide whether enhanced autofill is on and what it may access, through Chrome's settings. 9to5Google adds that individual suggestions can be deleted. The company's post does not explain in detail how Chrome decides which emails are relevant to a given field, how long any retrieved information is kept, or whether the feature behaves differently on shared computers. Those are reasonable points to check before enabling it, since the convenience comes from giving the browser's assistant a path into one of the most personal data stores most people have.