Google Gemini gets a native app on Mac before the standalone Siri arrives

Google has launched a native Gemini app for Mac that enables users to share their screen to bring greater context to their queries.

The new Gemini app for macOS can be accessed from a keyboard shortcut, with Google pitching the service as a way to consult one of the leading generative AI models without interrupting your work. That means you can ask Gemini to look at a document or spreadsheet you’re working on, or a YouTube video you’re looking at in the browser.

“With our new native desktop experience, you can share anything on your screen with Gemini to get help with exactly what you’re looking at, including local files,” Google says in a blog post. “If you’re reviewing a complex chart, you can share your window and ask, ‘What are the three biggest takeaways here?’ to get an instant summary. This brings powerful context to your creative work as well.”

Those who’ve downloaded the Gemini app will be able to hit the Option + Space keyboard shortcut to summon help. You won’t have to switch the tab you’re working within. Instant answers are available. The app is available to all Gemini users for free and the app can be downloaded directly here.

It arrives before Apple has been able to get its ducks in a row for a native Siri app (albeit one infused by Gemini models as part of a new partnership between the two companies). Recent reports have suggested Apple is planning a new standalone Siri app in its next generation operating systems. It’s a shame for Apple that people will be used to a Gemini native app before Siri arrives.