Google wants Gemini to be the default AI on your iPhone, not Apple Intelligence

With Apple Intelligence still on the coming-soon list for those of us in the UK, it's possible that Apple's own AI system could be beaten to the punch by Google.

That's because a new leak shows that Google is getting ready to launch an iPhone version of its Gemini system, the same AI that's available for some of the best Android phones.

As 9to5Google reports, the Gemini app briefly appeared for some users in the iOS App Store. The app refers to Gemini in two contexts – the app itself is called Google Gemini, and the service it connects to is Gemini Live, Google's Gemini-powered digital assistant.

The Google blurb is typically to the point: "Go Live with Gemini in a natural, conversational way using just your voice... unlock the power of Google AI on your iPhone."

What do we know about Gemini on iPhone?

Unlike Apple, which wants its AI to live on your device – one of the reasons its hardware requirements are so hefty – Gemini Live uses the cloud. That means it could potentially come to more iPhones than Apple's own AI. It was initially only available for Pixel 9 owners and required a subscription, but it's now free and available to all.

At the moment there's a Gemini tab in the iOS Google app, but this new version is a standalone app specifically for Gemini Live. The current app needs iOS 16 or later, which means it covers a lot of phones – on Android the only key requirement is 2GB of RAM.

The app isn't currently available in the App Store for most of the world. It was available in the Philippines, which suggests a very limited public test. And a lot of what it promises is already in the Google iPhone app.

However, a standalone app should make it easier to access Gemini Live, and to take advantage of more advanced features. One of those features is iOS's Live Activities, which should enable Gemini to listen in the background while you do other things.

In the longer term, Apple will possibly offer Gemini as an alternative to ChatGPT in Apple Intelligence, much as it offers alternative default search engines to Safari.

Speaking to Fast Company, Apple's Craig Federighi said: "We think ultimately people are going to have a preference perhaps for certain models that they want to use, maybe one that’s great for creative writing or one that they prefer for coding. And so we want to enable users ultimately to bring a model of their choice.”