Perplexity's Comet Arrives On Android - How To Try The Ai Browser On Your Phone Now

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Comet made its mobile debut connected Thursday, Perplexity announced.
• The Android app comes pinch smart summarization and an advertisement blocker.
• Android's ecosystem could make it easier for Comet to spread.

AI startup Perplexity announced Thursday that Comet is now disposable connected Android, marking nan first clip that nan AI web browser has been made disposable connected mobile devices.

The Comet Android app takes nan web browser's best-known features, for illustration Comet Assistant and Voice Mode, and modifies them for a mobile experience.

Also: I tried Perplexity's Comet AI browser, and I for illustration wherever it's going (but it's not location yet)

"We didn't want to conscionable unit a desktop acquisition onto mobile," nan institution said successful its announcement. "Instead, Perplexity has redesigned nan mobile web browser for nan caller property of nan internet.

The caller app besides comes pinch a "smart summarization" feature, which provides AI-generated summaries of unfastened web tabs, arsenic good arsenic a built-in advertisement blocker. You tin download it here.

Android vs. iOS

Perplexity's Android motorboat could person large implications successful its ngo to colonize nan broader tech ecosystem.

Since its founding successful 2022, nan institution has painted itself arsenic a pioneer, building a caller benignant of AI-powered internet. To that end, it's been undergoing nan herculean task of challenging Google's hegemony complete browsing and search. One of Google's biggest and astir evident advantages is that complete decades, its devices person go profoundly woven into nan mechanisms done which millions of group interact pinch technology, and by extension, into their regular habits.

The astir germane example: Google owns Android, and Chrome comes arsenic nan default browser connected Android devices. That's an obstacle to Perplexity's growth, certainly, but it could besides beryllium an opportunity.

Also: I tried nan only agentic browser that runs section AI - and recovered only 1 downside

Compared to Apple's iOS, Android is arguably much amenable to nan usage of alternative, non-mainstream apps and services. While location person yet to beryllium immoderate rigorous studies proving aliases disproving that Android users themselves are much apt to veer from nan beaten way and effort newer devices (such arsenic Comet), nan Android ecosystem itself could thief to foster specified a mentality.

For one, nan mechanics of Apple's iOS unit each apps and services to beryllium channeled done nan App Store, while Android users person entree to a scope of marketplaces, including Google Play and Amazon's Appstore. This greater marketplace visibility and action could make it easier for an up-and-coming challenger for illustration Perplexity to get noticed much and grow its personification base.

Even much importantly, it's easier and much seamless for Android users to alteration their default browser than it is for iOS users.

Android devices travel pinch a "default apps" power sheet (found successful Settings > Apps), done which you tin prime nan default browser of your choice. Apple's iOS has besides allowed users to move their default browser since 2020, but nan process is simply a spot much complicated. It's a mini constituent of reduced friction, but erstwhile it comes to tech adoption, a small little clash tin make each nan difference. Perplexity could perchance go nan go-to instrumentality for millions of Android users, should they determine that they for illustration Comet complete Perplexity. (And there's good reason to judge galore of them will.)

Zoom out

Launched successful July arsenic a $200 per period work for Perplexity Max subscribers, Comet was made freely disposable to each users successful October, pinch immoderate paid users gaining entree to a "background assistant" to grip much analyzable queries.

Perplexity has promoted Comet arsenic a much agentic replacement to accepted browsers for illustration Chrome and Safari -- a instrumentality that uses AI not only to rank hunt results, but to proactively guideline users done their online hunt acquisition via interactions pinch a chatbot.

The idea's been catching on, and Perplexity is now facing increasing title from different companies pinch their ain agentic web browsers. 

In September, Google integrated Gemini into Chrome to present personification experiences that overlap pinch those offered by Perplexity's browser, specified arsenic AI-generated summaries of unfastened tabs. Google's recently upgraded browser tin besides propulsion accusation from its different suite of proprietary apps, including YouTube and Gmail.

Just days aft nan announcement from Google, package institution Atlassian announced it had acquired The Browser Company for a reported sum of $610 million, and that it would renovate nan AI-powered Dia browser arsenic an agentic level for knowledge workers.

Also: I loved Arc browser and was skeptical of its agentic Dia replacement - until I tried it

Though nan strategical imagination varies successful each case, successful general, nan existent push to build a caller benignant of AI-powered web browser is rooted successful nan thought that nan emergence of AI chatbots complete nan past 3 years has, to a ample degree, rendered nan aged exemplary of web browsing obsolete. Why navigate an endless bid of links erstwhile you tin conscionable inquire ChatGPT, Gemini, aliases Perplexity to instantly aboveground nan astir applicable accusation for you?

Chatbots travel pinch their ain foibles, of people -- of which mirage is conscionable 1 -- but these are being ironed retired each nan time, and already, tech companies look to beryllium capable to publication nan penning connected nan wall: nan early of nan net will very apt beryllium ruled by AI browsers that enactment arsenic individual assistants.