Access Google Gemini from iPhone's Lock Screen

Google Gemini users can now easily interact with the AI chatbot right from their iPhone’s lock screen. This new feature was introduced through an update released on Monday, which was first highlighted by 9to5Google. With this update, users can invoke Gemini Live, Google’s voice feature designed for real-time conversations with its AI chatbot, without needing to unlock their devices. To utilize this feature, users simply need to add a Gemini widget to their lock screen.

By allowing users to talk to Gemini Live directly from the lock screen, Google is stepping up its competition in the AI space, particularly as Apple's version of an AI-enabled Siri faces delays and is not expected to be available until 2027. While Apple's promised LLM-powered Siri could ultimately integrate more seamlessly with the iPhone's various functions, immediate alternatives are being provided to iPhone users by other companies.

In addition to Gemini Live, the recent update to the Gemini app also comes with several other useful lock screen widgets. These include tools for taking photos with the iPhone's camera to upload directly to Gemini, setting reminders, managing calendar events, and starting text chats with Gemini.

On the same day, Google announced that by March, Gemini users on Android will be able to ask the AI chatbot questions related to video and other on-screen content, receiving answers almost instantly. These features are part of Project Astra, Google DeepMind’s initiative focused on multimodal AI, and will initially be rolled out to subscribers of Google's $20-a-month Gemini Advanced plan.

Google, Gemini, iPhone