For a while now, AI Mode has been Google Chrome’s most potent secret weapon—a conversational, Gemini-powered search experience designed to handle complex, multi-part questions that traditional keyword search simply can’t touch.
The good news? That power is no longer buried in menus or limited to desktop. Google is officially rolling out a major update that brings one-tap AI Mode access to Chrome on both iOS and Android, fundamentally changing how you browse on the go.
Goodbye Friction, Hello Instant AI
If you’ve used AI Mode previously on mobile, you know it often required several steps, making it easy to just revert to a standard Google search for the sake of speed. Google’s solution is a sleek, new interface addition to the New Tab Page (NTP).
Now, when you open a new tab in Chrome, you’ll see a prominent “AI Mode” button sitting right below the main search bar, often accompanied by the Incognito shortcut.
This design change is more than just cosmetic—it’s about making AI-fueled search a default behavior:
- Zero-Friction Access: You can jump directly into a complex, conversational query without having to navigate menus or remember a specific URL.
- Mobile Ergonomics: On a smaller screen, every tap saved matters. This update minimizes the friction that often causes mobile users to give up on complex research.
What AI Mode Can Do for You (Anywhere)
AI Mode is built to address the kind of difficult, multi-faceted questions that arise when you’re out and about. By leveraging the power of Gemini, it breaks down your prompt into subtopics, searches the web extensively, and provides a structured, conversational answer with links for you to dive deeper.
With this new one-tap access, you can now:
- Plan on the Fly: “Compare three highly-rated Italian restaurants near my hotel that have outdoor seating and are open past 10 PM tonight.”
- Book Appointments: Use the expanding agentic capabilities to book tickets for events, or schedule beauty and wellness appointments directly through a conversational query.
- Deep Research: Ask nuanced questions and receive summarized, structured guidance, perfect for a sudden work thought or an impromptu debate with a friend.
This update truly transforms the mobile browsing experience, making your phone a more powerful tool for both casual searches and serious problem-solving.
Global Rollout Underway
While the dedicated AI Mode button is launching in the U.S. today, Google has confirmed plans to expand this shortcut to 160 new countries and numerous other languages, including Japanese, Korean, Hindi, and Portuguese, in the near future.
The mobile browser has just taken a massive leap forward. Your phone is now your most capable research assistant, and it’s just one tap away.
The search results include a video discussing how Google is turning the browser into a full AI system, which provides a larger context for the new AI Mode feature being easier to use on mobile devices
