Gemini App Update for iPhone Introduces Model Picker for 2.0 Flash

In the wake of its Android update, Google is now launching an enhancement for the Gemini app on iPhone, which enables users to select the 2.0 Flash Experimental model.

Following last week’s announcement, the Gemini app has introduced a model selector at the top of the interface. Available options include:

• 1.5 Pro: Handle complex tasks
• 1.5 Flash: Receive daily assistance
• 2.0 Flash Experimental: Try our latest testing model

The Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental model “may not perform as intended,” and file uploads are currently not supported. This model “surpasses 1.5 Pro in key benchmarks” and operates at double the speed. Google mentions that this will enhance the overall experience for Gemini app users, making it a more effective assistant. General availability is anticipated in January, while the agentic Deep Research feature is slated for a launch in early 2025, following its introduction on desktop and mobile web platforms.

Apart from the 2.0 Flash model, the changelog for version 1.2024.4970016 of Google Gemini for iPhone highlights two new Extensions:

• Control your smart home using the new Google Home extension
• Access your photos directly from Gemini via the Google Photos extension

To utilize the Google Home extension, you may need to join the Google Home Public Preview program, while the “Google Photos” extension is not yet visible. However, you are already able to upload images for analysis.

Google also introduced a feature called “Saved info” — gemini.google.com/saved-info — available in the account menu, while non-Gemini Advanced users will notice a row of conversation starters positioned above the text entry field.

Lastly, additional language support has been added:

• The app now supports 11 more languages: Bulgarian, Estonian, Gujarati, Kannada, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Serbian, Slovenian, Swahili, and Urdu

• Gemini Live is available in an additional 21 languages: Bengali, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Gujarati, Hungarian, Kannada, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Marathi, Norwegian Bokmål, Romanian, Slovenian, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Ukrainian, and Urdu