Between Google Assistant and Gemini, you now have the choice. It will not have escaped your notice, if you have followed the news from Mountain View in recent months, that artificial intelligence is at the heart of the American firm’s strategy. Its Bard AI, launched almost a year ago to compete with ChatGPT, has been renamed Gemini for several days. Google has simply chosen to harmonize the name of its service with that of its AI model, for the sake of readability among its users.
The announcement of this renaming was an opportunity to formalize the arrival of an Android application allowing you to experiment with the functionalities of Gemini – advanced contextual searches, managed ©image generation, instant translation, help with writing messages, etc. — from a simple Android smartphone. This application, only available in the United States to begin with, can replace Google Assistant, whose end we feel is now near. And if we were waiting for its availability in Europe, and more precisely in France, there is no need to wait any longer: the application can now be used in France.
As we write these lines, the Play Store (if you search for the application from your browser) still reports that the Gemini application is not functional in France. However, if by chance you manage to download it, it now works normally. To obtain it, two options are available to you:
- You can use a VPN, such as Proton and others (we refer you to our VPN comparison) and locate yourself in the United States.
- The application can also be downloaded from an APK Mirror portal, although with more security risks.
Once the application is installed on your smartphone, you can configure direct access to Gemini instead of Google Assistant. Then click on the icon at the top right symbolizing your Google account, then choose Settings and select Google Digital Assistants. You can then make Gemini the application called by default when you long press the power button of your smartphone, or its Home button; it can also respond to voice (“Hey Google” Or “Ok Google”) if you have configured the option.
We have installed the application on several smartphones. For some, we had to select English as the default language then turn the smartphone off and on again, so that Gemini would agree to work; it was then enough to switch the smartphone back to the language of Molière, which is indeed supported by Google’s AI.
Which smartphones are eligible?
Gemini was, in its early days, reserved for Pixel smartphones from Google. The restriction is no longer in force – we for our part downloaded the application on a Pixel 7 Pro and a terminal signed Xiaomi – and the application works on Android smartphones whatever let them be. Google nevertheless specifies that they must run at least Android 12 and be equipped with 4 GB of RAM: which means that almost all recent devices are eligible.
If Gemini can take the place of Google Assistant on Android smartphones, the application can also be used independently, from the application icon. Remember that Gemini is also integrated into the Google application for iPhone, even if our tests on February 14 confirm that it does not yet offer access to Gemini in France.
Finally, remember that the Gemini app, which is free to use, should not be confused with the Gemini Ultra 1.0 offer, made official on February 8 by Google. This is in fact a paid offer and offers many more features, which we have detailed in this news.