Meanwhile, for iPhone users (where Siri is the default virtual assistant), Google is yet to launch a dedicated Google Gemini app. However, the Gemini chatbot can be accessed on iPhones from the Google app. Users can easily enable Gemini on their iPhones and get it working.
The Google app lets you perform online searches on the iPhone. That includes Google Lens searches and searches by voice. The default version of Gemini is available for free. iPhone users don’t need to upgrade to the priciest Google One cloud storage plan to get access to Gemini.
Things to remember
It’s important to note that users who want to access Gemini on their iPhones will have to be signed into their Google account on their smartphones. This means that iPhone users won’t be able to use Gemini without an account or in incognito mode. Users will also have to agree to the terms of service, which will notify them that Google will collect all Gemini data to improve the AI model.
How to use Gemini on iPhone: Step-by-step guide
- To get started with Gemini on iPhone, load the Google app and ensure that it’s running the most recent version.
- If Gemini is available for their account, users will be able to see a tab to switch to the chatbot at the top of the Google app
- You can use this toggle to switch between regular Google Search and Gemini.
- The Google Search tab has the word “Search” on it next to the Google logo, while Gemini will have a blue star on its tab.
- Here, Google will ask the user the agree the terms of service where the company will collect data to train the chatbot
- Once you’ve agreed, you can chat with Google Gemini on iPhone via keyboard or voice.
- You’ll also be able to upload images for multimodal chats with Google.
Other Shortcuts to access Gemini on iPhones
There’s no way to replace Siri with the Google Gemini assistant on the iPhone. However, the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max can be set to open the Google app on the latest Pro models. This will help users to have quicker access to Google Gemini. Other iPhone users can use the Shortcuts app to launch Gemini on their phones, without installing any apps.
Google explains the reason to collect data
Google won’t allow users to access Gemini if they don’t agree to its data collection. Gemini explains: “I save our chats and related data, including location and context info, in Gemini Activity. Google uses your data to improve its services and technologies, with help from human reviewers. Data reviewed by humans is disconnected from your Account and saved for 3 years. Don’t enter things you don’t want viewed or used.”
However, Google will also allow users to turn Gemini Activity off if they don’t want the company to use their data to improve the chatbot. Data will be saved for 72 hours for safety and reliability.