Google Gemini widget now available on iPhone - launch Google’s AI from your iOS Home Screen

(Image credit: Future)

The Google app on iPhone is one of the most used third-party applications on iOS and it just got a whole lot better, thanks to Gemini.

With the launch of iOS 18, Google’s Search widget has been given an overhaul, now offering customizable shortcuts. One of those shortcuts is Google Gemini, the company’s impressive AI chatbot that previously was only available on iPhone by opening the Google app and switching tabs.

Now, with the tap of a button, you can instantly launch into Gemini and ask it whatever you want from simple questions, like the size of London, to more complicated prompts like the meaning of life. Having the ability to launch Gemini directly from your iPhone’s Home Screen is a huge upgrade to the previous Google Search widget and gives iPhone users the option to use Google AI similarly to Google Pixel owners.

Google Gemini isn’t the only new addition to the Google Search widget, 9to5Google reports that the full bottom row under Search can be modified to any of the following:

Activity: The app’s second tab that shows Open tabs, Search History, and Saved pages
Gemini
Homework: Google Lens
Incognito
Lens
Screenshots: Google Lens
Song Search
Translate
Translate – Camera
Translate – Voice
Voice Search

Want to add Google Gemini to your Home Screen on iOS?

Google has made it very easy to add the Gemini shortcut to your Google Search widget and it's incredibly responsive to use. Simply follow the steps below and you'll be using Gemini on your iPhone daily, seriously it's that good.

Want to know more about Gemini's capabilities? Check out our Google Pixel 9 Pro Review.

Google Gemini on iPhone

Google Lens Visual Intelligence on iPhone

Enter jiggle mode (tap and hold on any icon) on your iPhone’s Home Screen

Tap Edit, then Add Widget, Select Google’s medium widget

Tap the + on the right of the Google widget

Select up to 4 shortcuts including Gemini

I’ve selected Gemini, Lens, and Song search for my Google widget and I can already see the benefit. Lens is Google’s version of the upcoming Visual Intelligence in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, while Song search is an alternative to Shazam. Combined, all 3 shortcuts make the Google Search widget one of the best available on the iPhone right now.

So while you're waiting for Apple Intelligence and all the Apple Intelligence features to arrive on iPhone, why not give Gemini a try?

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John-Anthony Disotto is TechRadar's Senior Writer, AI, ensuring you get the latest information on Tech's biggest buzzword. An expert in Apple, he was previously iMore's How To Editor and has a monthly column in MacFormat. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and is an award-winning journalist with years of experience in editorial.