Google announced Wednesday that it is removing its Gemini AI model from the Google app on iOS, meaning that Apple users will need to download the dedicated Gemini app in order to use it.
When Google first introduced its Gemini AI to the Apple product ecosystem, it did so through its existing Google App, which had been available on iPhones and iPads since 2008. It wasn’t until last November that Google released its dedicated Gemini app. Over the past three months, iOS users had their choice of which app through which to access the chatbot, but that is no longer the case.
“We’re making some changes to create an even better Gemini experience on iOS,” the company wrote in an email to iOS Gemini users, according to Android Central. “Gemini is now available as its own app, and that’s now the best place to use Gemini. To continue using Gemini, download the new Gemini app from the App Store.”
Per the company, the dedicated app will offer all of the same functionality found in the Google app as well as numerous additional features. These include Gemini Live, Google’s answer to OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode that allows users to converse with the chatbot verbally; Gemini integrations with other Google Workspace apps like Maps, Gmail, and YouTube; and image creation using the Imagen 3 generative AI model.
Note, however, that while the Gemini app is free to download from the Apple App Store, access to premium features such as Gemini Live and the Workspace app integration will require a Gemini Advanced subscription. That comes as part of Google’s $20 per month One AI premium plan.
