Google is finally giving the iPhone its own Gemini app
Google just started testing a dedicated Gemini app for iOS, bringing its conversational Gemini Live voice assistant to the iPhone for the first time. Previously, iOS users were stuck accessing a limited version hidden inside the main Google app. The new standalone app even works from the lock screen, though it is currently limited to select regions like the Philippines.
iPhone users looking to tap into Google's AI have had to settle for a cramped experience inside the bloated Google search app. Android users have had a dedicated client for nearly a year, but on iOS, Gemini felt like an afterthought.
That looks about to change. Google is quietly rolling out a standalone Gemini app for iOS, and it brings along one massive feature: Gemini Live.
Gemini Live hits the iPhone lock screen
As first spotted on Reddit via 9to5Google, a standalone app titled "Google Gemini" has appeared in select App Store regions. A Reddit user successfully installed it via the Philippines App Store, though clicking the link in the US or other regions still serves a country restriction error.
According to the App Store version history, Google pushed an initial build roughly a week ago, followed by version 1.2024.4330809, which explicitly unlocked Gemini Live.
That's the real headline here. The old setup inside the Google app offered basic chat, essentially mirroring the web client. The new app brings full-blown, fluid voice conversations to iOS.
Screenshots shared from the test show that Gemini Live remains active even on the iPhone lock screen. It appears Google is hooking into Apple's Live Activities API or treating the AI conversation as an ongoing voice call to keep the audio channel alive in the background.
Why it matters
For iPhone owners, this instantly turns Gemini into a daily-driver assistant instead of a novelty buried behind a search engine. With the Action button standard across the iPhone 16 lineup and iPhone 15 Pro, users can now map a physical click directly to Google's smartest voice model.
We think this move was long overdue for Google. OpenAI's dedicated ChatGPT app has dominated the iOS App Store charts for over a year, cementing itself as the default conversational AI for casual iPhone users. Keeping Gemini trapped as a tab inside a legacy search app was quietly killing Google's distribution outside Android.
The real battleground now is Apple's own ecosystem. While Google can cleverly hijack the Action button and Live Activities to look like a native assistant, it will never enjoy the system-level privileges Apple Intelligence has promised for Siri. Still, if Apple continues to stagger its AI rollout, a lightning-fast, lock-screen-ready Gemini app might win over frustrated users first.
Sources (1)
- androidcentral.com(opens in a new tab)Originalandroidcentral.com
Topic trackerGoogle Gemini app for iOS rollout
- Google’s Gemini app lands on iPhone
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