Google Speeds Up Gemini Spark Agent by Over 50%, Poland Still Locked Out

Google announced a major update to Gemini Spark on July 15, 2026, the autonomous AI agent unveiled in May at the Google I/O conference. The company says the tool now runs more than 50 percent faster and can independently edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in Google Workspace, including ones shared with other people. Access, however, remains limited to subscribers of the top-tier Google AI Ultra plan in the United States, with Poland and the rest of the European Economic Area (EEA) still shut out.

What's New in Spark

Gemini Spark debuted on May 19, 2026 as an experimental agent designed to handle repetitive tasks for users in the background, without requiring them to open an app. July's update expands its permissions within Google Workspace. The agent can now open and edit Google Docs on its own, make changes to private and shared spreadsheets and presentations, read comments left by collaborators, and add images to the materials it creates.

Google also highlights improved use of the Canvas panel, which lets the agent refine and polish document content step by step instead of generating finished text in one pass. According to the company, streamlined source retrieval now allows parallel data processing on complex tasks, which it says explains the reported speed increase of more than 50 percent compared with the version from two months earlier.

Working in the Background, No Phone Needed

A key feature that sets Spark apart from a conventional assistant is that tasks run on Google's servers rather than locally on the user's device. That means the agent keeps working even after you close your laptop or lock your phone.

It's a cloud-based agent, Spark works in the background even after you close your laptop or lock your phone - Josh Woodward, Vice President of Google Labs, Gemini app and AI Studio

In practice, Google cites use cases such as automatically scanning credit card statements for hidden fees, pulling deadlines out of school messages and sending consolidated summaries, or turning meeting notes into finished documents distributed to a team. These are tasks that previously required manually switching between apps.

Who Gets Access

For now, Spark is rolling out only to trusted testers, with subscribers to the Google AI Ultra plan in the United States next in line, the most expensive Google package, priced in Poland at at least 469.99 zloty a month. Josh Woodward suggested in a comment on the update that users of the cheaper AI Pro plan should expect their own access announcement soon, though he gave no specific date.

Google also says Spark will be integrated with the Chrome browser later this summer, which would let the agent carry out tasks directly inside the browser window rather than only within the Gemini app and Workspace services.

Poland and Europe Wait

For users in Poland, the more important piece of news isn't the new features themselves: Gemini Spark remains unavailable across the entire European Economic Area (EEA), which includes Poland, as well as in the UK, Switzerland, and Nigeria. Google has not given an official reason for excluding these markets from the rollout.

This kind of delayed rollout of agentic features in Europe is nothing new for Google and other major AI companies, which regularly point to the time-consuming process of adapting products to EU regulatory requirements before committing to a full launch on the continent. It's not yet known when such a decision will be made for Spark.

What's Next

Google sees Spark as part of a broader strategy to turn Gemini from a conventional chatbot into an agent that carries out tasks on its own, alongside previously announced features such as Daily Brief. The next test will be whether the company actually opens access to the AI Pro plan and whether the promised Chrome integration arrives on schedule this summer of 2026. The rollout date for Spark in Europe remains unknown for now.