I've never owned another smartphone apart from an iPhone up until this year. However, as AI makes its way onto every tech product on the planet, I needed to try Android to understand the differences between artificial intelligence in the two ecosystems.
After using a Samsung Galaxy S25 for a few weeks, I returned to my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Not because it was better, but because the ecosystem you've built your life in equates to the deciding factor when it comes to choosing between flagship smartphones.
Once back on iOS, I found myself missing one specific AI feature more than others, and without access on iPhone, I quickly defaulted back to living with an Android device.
That AI feature I'm talking about is Gemini Live, and while you could access it on iOS, the experience was dumbed down. That was until yesterday, at Google I/O 2025, when Google announced that all of Gemini Live's capabilities are rolling out on iPhone, and at no cost.
Here's why Gemini Live is the best AI tool I've ever used, and how adding all of its capabilities to iPhone means I'm ready to jump back to Apple.
What Visual Intelligence wanted to be
Gemini Live already existed in the Gemini app on iOS, but it lacked two crucial elements that make the Android version that much better. Firstly, Gemini Live on iOS was unable to access your iPhone's camera, and secondly, it couldn't see what you were doing on your screen. I/O 2025 changed all that.
Now, iPhone users can give Gemini Live access to their camera and screen, allowing for new ways to interact with AI that we've not really seen on iOS before.
Gemini's camera ability is single-handedly one of, if not the, best AI tool I've used to date, and I'm thrilled iPhone users can now experience it.
What is Gemini Live's camera feature? Well, imagine a better version of what Apple wanted Visual Intelligence to be. You can simply show Gemini whatever you're looking at and ask questions without needing to describe the subject.
I've found Gemini Live's camera functionality thrives in situations like cooking. I used it last week to make Birria Tacos, and not only was I given advice every step of the way, but it was also able to see everything I was doing and help direct me towards a delicious dinner.
Not only did propping my S25 on a stand give Gemini Live the perfect angle, but because it can connect to Google apps, I could ask it to get information on a recipe directly from the content creator's video. No need to constantly touch your phone with dirty hands in the kitchen, and no need to even check a recipe anymore. Gemini Live can do it all.
An AI companion every step of the way
Screen sharing allows Gemini Live to see what's on your display at any time, allowing you to ask questions related to imagery, something you're working on, or even how to complete a puzzle in a game. It's seriously cool, similar to Apple Intelligence-powered Siri we were promised but never received back at WWDC 2024.
Gemini Live's full free rollout has just started, so we're yet to see how this functionality will work on iOS. That said, if it works half as well as it does on Android, this will be a feature I could see a lot of people falling in love with.
Gemini Live and its multiple ways of interacting with the world completely unlock AI on a smartphone, and now that iPhone users can access it too, I have no reason not to return to the Apple ecosystem.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar
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