Google and Apple push prompt based tools for personal phone tweaks

In short: Phone makers are starting to let people create small apps, widgets, and automations by describing what they want in plain text.

What's going on

Google used its I/O 2026 event to highlight new ways to build custom features on Android without being a traditional app developer. One update expands Google AI Studio, a tool that can turn a written prompt (a short instruction you type) into a native Android app, meaning an app that runs like a normal Android app. Google says you can export the app to your phone in minutes.

At first, this app making feature is limited to “personal utility” apps. Google also said the usual rules still apply if you want to publish an app on the Play Store. The idea is more like making something for yourself, like a habit tracker with one specific feature you cannot find elsewhere.

Google is also working on “Create My Widget,” which would let you generate your own widgets from a prompt. Widgets are the small boxes on your home screen that show information at a glance, like weather or calendar events. Google’s examples include widgets that highlight specific weather details or suggest recipes.

Apple may be moving in a similar direction. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says Apple is working on a way to create Shortcuts from prompts in iOS 27. Shortcuts are built in automations (like setting up a chain of actions that happens when you arrive at a location or connect to your home Wi-Fi).

What to watch

The big question is reliability. If these prompt based tools work well, they could make phones feel more like a custom dashboard you set up for your life, instead of a collection of one size fits all apps.

Source: The Verge AI