Before today, iPhone users could access Gemini through the Google app, though there were some notable limitations. For instance, the dedicated app includes Google’s Gemini Live feature, which allows users to interact with the AI agent from their iPhone’s Dynamic Island and Lock Screen. As a result, you don’t need to have the app open on your phone’s screen to use Gemini. The software is free to download — though a Gemini Advanced subscription is necessary to use every available feature. Gemini Advanced is included in Google’s One AI Premium plan, which starts at $19 per month.

The app is compatible with iPhones running iOS 16 and later, meaning people with older devices such as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X can use the AI agent. I’ll note here that the oldest iPhone that can run Apple Intelligence is the iPhone 15 Pro. Of course, that’s not exactly a fair comparison; Apple designed its suite of AI features to rely primarily on on-device processing, and when a query requires more computational horsepower, it goes through the company’s Private Cloud Compute framework.

Either way, it’s not surprising to see Google bring a dedicated Gemini app to iPhone. Ahead of WWDC 2024, Apple had reportedly been in talks with the company to integrate the AI agent directly into its devices.