According to people familiar with the matter, Google has begun internal testing of a native Gemini application for Mac, which means that Gemini, which has long been limited to the web, will soon be available on macOS as an independent client. This step is seen as further implementing its in-depth cooperation with Apple in the field of artificial intelligence while competing head-on with desktop applications such as Anthropic and OpenAI.
Prior to this, the relationship between the two parties had been delicate: in the early years, Google Maps was launched on the iPhone earlier than Apple's own Apple Maps, and Google has always been slow in adopting Apple's new APIs. This situation has begun to change since the two parties announced the "Gemini Cooperation". On Apple Vision Pro, YouTube’s native app is finally online, and now the advancement of Gemini’s native Mac app is seen as another example of this change.
According to information disclosed by Bloomberg citing application researcher M1Astra, Google has launched a private test of the Gemini Mac application. From the perspective of functional positioning, this application will be similar to Mac clients such as ChatGPT and Claude currently on the market, and more features will be gradually added with updates and iterations. There is currently no clear release schedule, but reports generally believe that the application is "almost ready" and its launch does not depend on Apple officially announcing or releasing new Apple Foundation Models based on Gemini training, so it can theoretically meet users earlier.
This will be an important upgrade for those already using Gemini on their Mac. Previously, users could only access Gemini in a limited way via the web, with limited interaction and system integration capabilities. The new application is expected to support the direct upload of local files and the possibility to access system applications and data on the Mac subject to authorization, such as calling information from calendars, reminders or photos, further improving its usefulness in multiple scenarios.
Industry observers have noted that Apple has clearly been pushing Google to integrate more deeply into its ecosystem in recent years. Although the specific terms of the transaction between the two parties have not been disclosed, from the enhanced collaboration between the Find My Devices network and Apple products to the series of actions surrounding Gemini, it is generally believed that the two companies are trying to find a new balance between the "walled garden" and cross-platform collaboration to ease the long-standing ecological isolation and competitive pressure.