The company teased built-in Gemini in Chrome for iOS in September, and the feature is now rolling out gradually across the United States. For Gemini to work in Chrome, you’ll need version 143. When you’ve updated, make sure you’re signed into your account, the browser language is set to English, and the app isn’t in Incognito mode.

If all the above conditions are met, the Google Lens logo on the left-hand side of the address bar will change to a Gemini icon. Tapping the icon shows options for two “Page tools” that let Gemini search your screen or for you to ask the chatbot a question.

The Gemini interface also includes shortcuts to do things like summarize the current webpage or create a FAQ about a topic. Other sample queries include asking Gemini to reframe complex topics in alternative ways, quiz you on material you’re learning, adapt recipes to specific dietary requirements, or contrast options and offer tailored recommendations based on your preferences. Gemini’s responses to queries appear in an overlay that floats on top of the webpage.

Chrome 143 for iOS also adds biometric checkout support, new Chrome tips on the New Tab Page, and general stability improvements.

(Via 9to5Google.)

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The AI Mode option provides quicker access to Chrome’s Gemini-powered AI search feature. Google says that AI Mode lets users ask more complex, multi-part questions, and follow up on answers.

Chrome users in the United States will see the AI Mode button in the Chrome apps for ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Android as of today, with Google planning to expand it to additional countries in the near future.

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There will be a small Gemini symbol in the upper right side of the browser that will offer options like learn about the page or explore a topic when clicked. By default, the Ask Gemini interface will answer questions about the tab that you have open.

Gemini in Chrome is able to work across multiple tabs, which is useful for comparing and summarizing information across several websites. It integrates with Google apps like Calendar, YouTube, and Maps to do things like locate a specific spot in a YouTube video or schedule meetings without leaving a webpage.

Later this month, AI Mode search will be accessible directly from the Chrome address bar with support for long, complex questions.

Gemini in Chrome will also be able to remember websites that you’ve visited, making it easier to search for a site that you want to revisit. Improved browsing protections are in the works as well, with Google expanding Safe Browsing to put a stop to sites using fake viruses or fake giveaways to phish for info.

In the coming months, Gemini in Chrome will get agentic capabilities, allowing the AI assistant to handle “tedious tasks” like booking a haircut or ordering groceries. You will be able to tell Chrome what needs to be accomplished, and then Gemini will act on webpages to get the task done.

Google also plans to bring Gemini to the Chrome app for iOS, with the feature coming in the near future.

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When a Chrome user switches from a personal account to a managed work account using the added functionality, Chrome ensures that data for managed accounts stays separate. Work account browsing and personal account browsing remain distinct, with work-related tabs, history, passwords and other local data associated only with the managed account, and personal data limited to the personal account.

Google says that the improved account switching experience is designed to enable businesses to permit employees to use the devices of their choice in BYOD situations. The functionality is not available for switching between two standard Google accounts in Chrome on iOS.

When a user signs in to or swaps to a managed account, they will be informed about the separation for managed account browsing, and will be notified that they are using a managed experience with an on-screen confirmation.

Google is also extending Chrome Enterprise reporting capabilities to iOS devices, so organizations can send critical data related security events to the security investigation tool in the Google Admin console or Chrome logs. URL filtering is coming to iOS devices as well, so businesses can restrict employees from accessing unapproved or unsanctioned websites.

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Apple dropped support for these devices when it released iOS 17, which Chrome will require to install. Likewise, the upcoming Chrome v138.7204.13 requires iPadOS 17 to run, so the browser will drop support for the iPad 5, iPad Pro (9.7-inch), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation).

The upcoming Chrome is currently undergoing beta testing in TestFlight, but it’s not clear when Google will release it. The current version includes support for tab groups on iPad, as well as Google Password Manager syncing for iPhone and iPad, along with stability and performance improvements.

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Apple dropped support for these devices when it released iOS 17, which Chrome will require to install. Likewise, the upcoming Chrome v138.7204.13 requires iPadOS 17 to run, so the browser will drop support for the iPad 5, iPad Pro (9.7-inch), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation).

The upcoming Chrome is currently undergoing beta testing in TestFlight, but it’s not clear when Google will release it. The current version includes support for tab groups on iPad, as well as Google Password Manager syncing for iPhone and iPad, along with stability and performance improvements.

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According to The Information, Turley provided the detail as part of a court hearing that will determine remedies to address Google’s antitrust violations.

The United States Department of Justice wants Google to divest Chrome after the DoJ won an antitrust lawsuit against Google last year. The court decided that Google has an illegal monopoly on search, and the judge overseeing the case is now deciding on the punishment (or remedies) that Google will face as a result.

The DoJ pointed to OpenAI as company that’s growth has been hampered by Google’s hold on search. Last year, OpenAI asked Google for access to search data to bolster SearchGPT, but Google refused.

Along with potentially being forced to sell Chrome, Google could be forced to allow rivals to access its search data. Turley said that access to Google’s real-time data would allow OpenAI to “build a better product faster.”

Google is also likely to be prohibited from entering into search related deals with Apple and other companies. Google has long paid Apple billions of dollars per year to be the default Safari search engine, giving Google a significant advantage in the search market.

The DoJ is also recommending that Google divest Android, but only if the other proposed remedies are not effective at keeping Google from “improperly leveraging” the operating system, or if Google tries to circumvent the other requirements put in place.

During his testimony, Turley also said that OpenAI offered to pay Apple a portion of the revenue generated by the Siri ChatGPT integration, but it is not clear if Apple has accepted payment, and prior reports suggested that it was a deal that does not see Apple paying OpenAI, or OpenAI paying Apple.

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The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has blocked Apple’s efforts to intervene in the federal antitrust trial against Google that jeopardizes Apple’s lucrative search exclusivity deal, Ars Technica reports. In February, US District Court Judge Amit Mehta had already denied Apple’s request to take a limited role in the remedies phase of the Google Search monopoly hearing.

The latest ruling upholds Judge Mehta’s decision that Apple simply took too long to file its request, according to MediaDailyNews. Apple had filed a motion to intervene in the trial on December 23rd for a case that started in 2020. With Apple’s efforts to protect its search deal with Google hanging in the balance, the company will have to settle for briefs outside the hearing to share its concerns. The arrangement in which Apple continues to set Google as the default search engine on iPhones was reportedly worth $18 billion in 2021 and $20 billion in 2022. At the judge’s order on Apple’s motion in January, Google had not taken a position on whether Apple should participate.

One of Apple’s concerns mentioned in its motion to intervene in December was that it didn’t want to lose the ability to “reach other arrangements with Google.” However, earlier this month, the Justice Department made changes to the proposed final judgment that include letting Google pay Apple for services that aren’t related to search.

The Department of Justice won its antitrust case against Google last year, finding the company maintains a monopoly on search and advertising. Now, the court is about to determine remedies against Google, which includes the DOJ’s recommendation that the company divest from its Chrome browser and make changes to its Android business.

The United Kingdom’s mobile browser market is “not working well for consumers and businesses” according to a final report from Britain’s competition watchdog, which says that Apple and Google are largely to blame.

An independent inquiry group has concluded its mobile browsers investigation for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), identifying Apple’s policies around iOS, Safari, and WebKit as making it difficult for third-party web browser providers to compete and restricting the market as a result. Google’s Android mobile ecosystem is also complicit in impeding competition, according to the CMA report, albeit to a lesser extent.

The issues flagged by the investigation include Apple requiring all browsers on iOS to run on its WebKit browser engine, giving Safari preferential access to features compared to competing WebKit-based browsers, limitations placed on in-app browsing, and having Safari pre-installed and prominently displayed as the default browser on iPhones. While users can change the default iPhone web browsing app, investigators say that Safari’s designation as the pre-installed default on iPhones reduces user awareness of alternative apps.

Investigators found similar concerns regarding Chrome being pre-installed as the default web browser on the vast majority of Android devices. However, the report notes that both Apple and Google have taken steps to make it easier for users to switch to alternative browsers since the investigation announced its provisional findings in November, which have “addressed some, but not all, of the concerns relating to choice architecture.”

The investigation also found that revenue sharing arrangements that see Google paying Apple a significant share of search revenue in exchange for being the default search engine on iPhones was “significantly reducing their financial incentives to compete.”

Apple and Google have yet to respond to our request for comment on the CMA’s report.

The CMA has put forward potential remedies aimed at improving competition within the UK’s mobile browser market, which include forcing Apple to allow developers to use alternative browser engines on iOS, requiring Apple and Google to offer a browser choice screen during device setup, and prohibiting the Chrome revenue sharing arrangements between the two companies. These suggestions are currently unenforceable, however, that could change in the coming months.

In January, the CMA launched separate investigations into Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems to decide whether to designate them as having strategic market status (SMS) under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC). Much like the Digital Markets Act (DMA) law introduced by the European Union, the DMCC allows UK regulators to make select companies with “substantial and entrenched market power” meet stricter antitrust requirements.

SMS companies can be imposed with “conduct requirements” intended to address anticompetitive behavior, and risk fines of up to 10 percent of their annual turnover for violating DMCC rules. If Apple or Google are designated with SMS, the mobile browser investigation is encouraging the CMA to “consider imposing appropriate interventions,” similar to the suggestions it outlined. The SMS investigations into Google and Apple are currently ongoing and expected to conclude later this year.

“Following our in-depth investigation, we have concluded that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, and this is holding back innovation in the UK,” said Margot Daly, Chair of the CMA’s independent inquiry group. “I welcome the CMA’s prompt action to open strategic market status investigations into both Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems. The extensive analysis we’ve set out today will help that work as it progresses.”

On Friday, the DoJ sent a new proposal [PDF] to the court in its ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Google, and the updated document still recommends that Google sell Chrome. Last year, Google was found to have a search monopoly, and antitrust regulators have since been deciding on the actions that should be taken to address Google’s anticompetitive practices.

The DoJ first asked the court to force the sale of Chrome back in November, under the Biden administration. Google donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, and Google leadership heaped praise on Trump, perhaps in the hope that the Trump administration would scale back on its recommendations, but that does not appear to have happened.

The latest DoJ filing refers to Google’s “unlawful and unchecked, monopolistic conduct” that has led to people being reliant on the Google search engine, calling Google an “economic goliath.”

The DoJ says that “Google must divest the Chrome browser” to provide the opportunity for another company to “operate a significant gateway to search the internet” without Google’s control.

In addition to divesting Chrome, the DoJ is also recommending that Google be barred from entering into search engine agreements with Apple, which would put an end to the payments that Google makes to Apple to be the default search engine on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, but the DoJ does allow for Google to pay Apple for services that don’t have to do with search.

The DoJ says that it would also recommend the divestiture of Android if the proposed remedies do not go far enough to keep Google from “improperly leveraging” Android to its advantage, or if Google attempts to circumvent the remedies put in place by the court, but it has backed off of an imminent Android sale. Google is also not being required to divest all of its AI investments.

Google and the DoJ will be back in court in April where the judge overseeing the case will decide on remedies.

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