Google announced Thursday that it has developed a new native Gemini app for iOS, providing iPhone users with free, direct access to the chatbot without the need for a mobile web browser.
The Gemini mobile app has been accessible for Android since February when the platform switched from its previous Bard identity. However, iOS users could only access the AI on their phones using the mobile Google app or a web browser. This updated app offers a more streamlined method of conversing with the bot, as well as a slew of new (for iOS) functions.
For starters, you’ll be able to communicate directly with the AI using Gemini Live. This is a completely new capability for the iOS environment, previously unavailable through the Google app or mobile web browser. It can respond in ten user-selected voices and communicate in nearly a dozen languages. On other platforms, Gemini Live can speak in up to 30 languages, so anticipate the iPhone version to add more in the future.
For example, iPhone users will now have access to Imagen 3, Google’s most powerful image production model, and will be able to generate AI images using text inputs.
Image 3’s “enhanced photorealism and accuracy can bring your ideas to life,” the business claimed. Users will be able to access and integrate Gemini’s features into other Google programs such as YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, and Calendar using the Extensions feature.
Google is also marketing Gemini for iPhone as a potential tutoring and study partner. “Gemini simplifies learning by allowing you to ask questions about any subject and receive tailored study plans,” the business said in an announcement blog post-Thursday.
“Gemini can also provide custom, step-by-step guidance that adapts to your learning style, and you can even test your knowledge with quizzes.”