Apple Integrates Advanced Image Recognition in iPhone 16, Mirroring Google Lens Functionality

Enhancing iPhone Functionality with Apple’s Integration of Google Gemini Into iOS - Insights

Screenshot by Nina Raemont

Unless you’ve been asleep for the past year, you know that AI has been on the minds of every tech company across the globe. Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and Opera… they’ve all injected AI into their products.

Unsurprisingly, Apple has been slow to the starting line with this divisive technology and is having to play catch-up.

Apple has already announced that ChatGPT will be part of Apple Intelligence , and rumors have been circulating for months that Apple could give Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude the same treatment. Apple was talking to Google about adding Gemini into iOS as far back as March , at least. Apple will likely announce its choices this fall, when Apple Intelligence arrives in beta.

Also: Everything to know about Apple’s AI features coming to iPhones, Macs, and iPads

Why would Gemini’s addition be a good thing? Let me explain through the eyes of an Android user.

From my experience, it’s all about interaction. Sure, Google Assistant and Siri make it possible to interact with your phone, but with Gemini, this goes a few steps further thanks to contextual awareness.

Gemini is capable of digging deeper into a subject than Google Assistant. Instead of having Google Assistant open online articles, Gemini can communicate the same information via a conversation. Not only is that more efficient, it also helps you avoid going to websites that are riddled with so many ads that the default mobile browser becomes useless and the page impossible to read. I would much rather have a conversation than have to trudge through an ad-infested website that doesn’t render properly on a mobile browser.

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Furthermore, Gemini is capable of interacting with other applications, such as Gmail, Google Keep, and more. With such integration, you can do far more than with the old-school assistant technology. Instead of limiting yourself to single interactions, you can dig deeper.

For example, with Google Assistant, you could view a list of flights for your upcoming vacation. With Gemini, you can plan the entire trip, including flights, hotels, and activities.

Since I shifted from Google Assistant to Gemini, I’ve found the latter to be far more useful. In fact, when Google Assistant was the default, I rarely used it. With Gemini, I find myself accessing the digital assistant far more.

Also: What is Gemini? Everything you should know about Google’s new AI model

I believe iOS and MacOS users will feel the same way about Apple Intelligence. With a more interactive assistant, Apple device owners will feel that the technology is more of a help than a hindrance. In fact, if Apple users are anything like me, their reaction will be along the lines of, “This is what Siri should have been all along!”

Along with the possible addition of Google Gemini, Android Police is also reporting the possibility of a new paid plan for Apple Intelligence. The article states this could be a “long-term plan,” which makes me believe Apple will roll out Apple Intelligence for all users for free, but could eventually start adding paid features.