Google’s Gemini app is launching in the UK and Europe. The mobile version of Google’s powerful AI chatbot is free to download and starts rolling out on the Play Store and App Store today, having launched in the US earlier this year.
The dedicated Gemini app behaves much like the desktop version does, but becomes a more useful AI assistant for the simple fact that you can access it more readily when on the move. You can type or speak to Gemini and get conversational, AI-generated answers. You can also include pictures of things you want help with – Google gives the example of changing a flat tyre – or get help writing messages, emails and notes.
Gemini gets a bit more interesting when installed on Pixel and other supported phones, where you’ll be able to replace the usual Google Assistant with the Gemini chatbot. That means you’ll be able to immediately start speaking to Gemini using the “Hey Google” voice command, by corner swiping or by pressing the power button.
The arrival of Gemini on Pixel phones is a big step towards Google’s apparent ambition to one day fully replace the default Google Assistant with an AI-powered alternative. Launched in 2016, the Google Assistant is synonymous with Pixel devices but has seen fewer and fewer updates since the search giant shifted its attention towards artificial intelligence.
“It’s an important first step in building a true AI assistant — one that is conversational, multimodal and helpful,” says Jules Walter, group product manager of Google’s Gemini division.
Google’s Gemini AI technology has seen some controversy in recent months. Earlier this year, for instance, it was forced to take its image generation capabilities offline amid criticism that it was wrongly generating “racially diverse” images, even when they were inappropriate.
The move to juice up Pixel phones with Gemini functionality comes as the wider tech industry is locked in an AI arms race. Last month Microsoft announced a range of laptops and tablets powered by its own Copilot AI. Meanwhile OpenAI, which is now owned by Microsoft, rolled out ChatGPT apps to most mobile and desktop platforms.
Google recently launched Gemini Advanced, a souped-up version of the chatbot costing £18.99 per month that’s capable of processing longer and more complex instructions. Google has also built its latest flagship phones around AI features. The Pixel 8a, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro all support Gemini Nano, a downsized AI model designed to run on mobile devices and without a connection to the internet.