Move Over Siri And Make Room For Google's Gemini App On iPhone

In an interesting turn of events, iPhone users may soon be able to use Google's Gemini assistant on their phones, and also initiate it directly from the lock screen, which would give Siri some proper competition. If a leak by a user in Philippines is any indicator, the Gemini Live app could soon appear in an Apple App Store near you. Or it might just be another of Google's many random (and now defunct) test vehicles.

Over on Reddit, a user going by lostshenanigans posted a link of the Gemini Live app on the App Store. The user is based in the Philippines, and as of this writing the app isn't available in the U.S., Australia, or the U.K. Based on the screenshots in the thread, Gemini Live is running as a Live Activity, meaning that Gemini can be accessed from the Dynamic Island and—most crucially—directly on the lock screen. This will give users a legitimate option over the default Siri as their primary AI voice assistant.

So far, beyond the original leaker, additional users have reported being able to find and install the Gemini app from the App Store. Regardless, stay tuned to this space for the latest updates and news on the matter.

Gemini Live is currently an Android-only exclusive, allowing users to leverage Gemini AI (formerly known as Bard) to start verbal queries and thereafter have human-like conversation(s) with the voice bot. It used to be a paid service under the Gemini Advanced subscription, which cost $20, but is now free to all Android users. The service was created as a direct competitor to ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Model, but we'll soon find out if Apple's Siri update (powered by Apple Intelligence) will offer similar levels of performance and accuracy.

Regardless, Gemini Live on iPhone has a nice ring to it and we hope it comes soon. There's a possibility that if (or when) this standalone app becomes available, Apple users will have to pony up for Gemini Live. Previously, Android users who paid for the AI service also got access to 2 TB of Google Drive storage, so the iOS app might be a smart gateway to onboard Apple users into the Google ecosystem.