Google launches Gemini Live app, bringing AI voice assistant to iPhone users

Alphabet’s Google on Thursday launched a smartphone app for its AI chatbot, Gemini, on Apple’s App Store Thursday, bringing its latest voice assistant to iPhone users. This release follows Google’s recent rollout of Gemini Live in English for Android users two months ago, with the app now available free of charge.

“The @Geminiapp is now on iPhone, including Gemini Live in 13 languages (with more on the way). It’s available in the App Store starting today,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced on X. 

Brian Marquardt, Google’s senior director of product management, highlighted some of Gemini’s capabilities: “It’s ideal for prepping for an interview, getting recommendations in a new city, or brainstorming creative ideas,” he said in a statement.

Gemini, Google’s answer to ChatGPT by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, initially launched in February 2023 under the name Bard. Since then, Google has continuously expanded Gemini’s features and navigated challenges along the way. The voice function, first announced in August, debuted on Android before making its way to iOS. The new Gemini app can be found in the Apple App Store.

Gemini App Now on iPhone

This latest generation of voice assistants, driven by advancements in large language models, surpasses earlier versions like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant in capabilities. Gemini Live is effectively Google’s upgrade to Assistant, an eight-year-old product based on older AI models.

Earlier this year, Google restructured its Voice Assistant team, laying off hundreds of employees in January as part of a move to “become more efficient,” according to a company spokesperson. The restructuring continued last month when the Gemini app team was merged with DeepMind, Google’s AI research lab, in another step toward streamlining operations, according to CEO Sundar Pichai.

DeepMind is exploring new methods to enhance AI models, addressing the challenges that have emerged with scaling larger models, Reuters reported this week.

In September, Google introduced a significant update to Gemini, adding a suite of advanced features aimed at enhancing the user experience. This update has given Gemini an edge over ChatGPT-4.