Google gave Bard an official upgrade and rebrand to Gemini, its most powerful ChatGPT rival so far. Gemini is available for free online. There’s also a Gemini Advanced version priced at $20/month, and it comes with 2TB of Google One storage. The Gemini models are available on mobile via Android and iPhone apps. On Android, Gemini can replace Assistant if you want it to.
It’s incredibly easy to access either Gemini version, but there’s a “problem” on the desktop. That access isn’t fast enough. No, it’s not a real problem since you just have to visit the Gemini site to start using Google’s AI. However, Google is already working on making that Gemini access even faster. A Chat with Gemini shortcut will be available directly in Google Chrome in the near future, so you don’t have to type in the AI’s website or tap on a bookmark.
Microsoft fixed this problem long ago by placing a Copilot (Bing Chat) shortcut right into Edge. Click the Copilot icon and the chatbot is ready for you. A similar functionality would be welcome on Chrome as well.
Google is testing the Chat with Gemini version in the Canary version of Google Chrome. If you don’t mind beta versions, you can check it out right away. As seen by WindowsReport, the shortcut shows up in the URL bar. Just type “@” and you should see a list of available shortcuts.
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Chat with Gemini should show up in the Omnibox if available in your area. Again, you should be on the Canary version of Chrome. And you might have to enable the shortcut before using it.
The new Google Gemini Advanced premium experience running in a browser. Image source: Google
To enable Chat with Gemini, head to chrome://flags, enable the Expansion pack for the Site Search starter pack, and restart the browser.
Then, head to chrome://settings/searchEngines, and you should find the Chat with Gemini shortcut under Site Search.
I’m a longtime Chrome user who abandoned Google’s browser a couple of years ago. Chrome has been the most popular browser on Windows and Mac computers for the better part of a decade before that. That’s to say I’m not likely to return, but if I did, I’d want to have this Chat with Gemini shortcut working for me.
However, I’m not on the Canary version of Chrome, and the Gemini shortcut isn’t available on the stable version. If you don’t want to experiment with betas, you’d better wait until the feature reaches the regular version of Chrome.
It’s unclear when the Chat with Gemini shortcut is coming to Chrome. But I’m certain it’s going to happen. Gemini is just too important for Google not to pursue such a Chrome feature.
Until then, you can set a bookmark for Gemini regardless of your browser. Just save the Gemini website at this link, and you’ll have a button ready to take you to the AI chatbot. That’s how I’m fixing the “problem” on Edge.