Beyond the Alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.
As we barrel towards a new age in mobile software, one that eventually aims to essentially be an “agent” that does everything for us, it’s crazy to think about how far we’ve come in such a short time. More and more people are turning to ChatGPT, for better or worse, while Google is attempting to wedge Gemini into every conceivable space possible. Not to mention that we’re getting more and more “AI-powered” features with every new flagship phone release.
That said, I realize that when it comes to actually using AI on my various smartphones, Chromebooks, gaming handhelds, and so on, at the end of the day, everyone’s AI experience is the same. I should probably modify that to say, “everyone’s AI experience can be the same.” No matter how you try to phrase it, the general idea remains the same, as someone with an iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro Fold, or Samsung Galaxy A26 can all do the same things with AI.
No, I’m not talking about the features that Apple, Google, and Samsung try to sell you on in the various ads and commercials. That’s cool and all, but the commonality between a phone that costs almost $2,000 and one that’s less than $200 is that they can all download the same AI apps.
Currently, the most prominent players are Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity, Grok, and DeepSeek. All of those apps, and many more, are available on either platform, ensuring you’ll always have access to your conversations and creations. Yes, there might be times when the iOS version of ChatGPT gets something first, but the same can certainly be true for Gemini on Android.
At the time of this writing, ChatGPT holds the top spot in the Play Store, and the next AI chatbot app doesn’t appear until Microsoft Copilot, in tenth place. Surprisingly, the opposite is true on the Apple App Store, where Google Gemini is the current top free app, followed by ChatGPT in second and DeepSeek in fifth. It just goes to show that Google’s marketing is paying off, although there’s definitely an argument to be made about the iPhone being a better Google phone than Android.
Apple’s playing catch up
Of course, there’s another side to the coin here, and it’s one that re-opens the age-old “iOS vs. Android” debate. Simply put, Siri is awful and can’t hold a candle to Gemini, ChatGPT, or even DeepSeek. Apple is so far behind the 8-ball here that it partnered with OpenAI and Google when introducing “Apple Intelligence” last year.
Recently, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports that Apple “is planning to launch its own artificial intelligence-powered web search tool next year, stepping up competition with OpenAI and Perplexity AI Inc.” Based on the report, this just sounds like it will be an Apple-branded version of Gemini, as Gurman says “The companies reached a formal agreement…to evaluate and test a Google-developed AI model to help power the voice assistant.”
However, Apple isn’t stopping there, as this AI-powered search will also be implemented in Siri. But instead of trying to figure out the score of the game or find the name of a brand, it’s said that Siri will finally be able to “tap into personal data and on-screen content to better fulfill queries.” By pulling resources from other departments and refocusing its efforts, Apple could deliver this enormous overhaul as soon as March 2026 with iOS 26.4.
Even so, while we all wait for this big AI overhaul, you can still download apps like Gemini, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Perplexity and perform many AI-related tasks we hope to see from Apple and Siri.
Everyone else is widening the gap
Meanwhile, Google has just announced new Gemini models, along with a complete overhaul and revamp of the Google Home app. Additionally, Gemini will be available on our existing smart speakers and Nest Hubs, a feature we’ve been eagerly awaiting.
At the same time, OpenAI recently announced “Instant Checkout in ChatGPT,” allowing users to make purchases using AI. It also introduced “ChatGPT Pulse,” which will “deliver personalized updates based on your chats, feedback, and connected apps like your calendar.”
Why does any of that matter? Because all of those new features from Google and OpenAI will soon be available on any phone (if they aren’t already). So, sure, needing to download an app isn’t as seamless as just having it integrated at the OS level. But does it really matter given the abundance of options at our disposal, especially when you can just pick the app that works best for you in any particular instance?
To answer my own question, no, it doesn’t really matter. At least for now.