Google on Tuesday announced an update for the Google Chrome app that will make it even easier to access AI Mode, the chatbot-like experience that’s available in Google Search to users who want to discuss certain topics in greater detail than what the default, keyword-based, Google Search experience has to offer. Specifically, Google made a new AI Mode button that sits under the Google Search bar, next to the Incognito mode, when loading a new tab in Google Chrome on iPhone and Android. The feature will be available to U.S. users initially, but Google plans to roll the new shortcut out to 160 countries in the future, complete with more language support, including Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.
The user interface update is minor. Starting a Google Search would make AI Mode available as a separate menu in those markets where AI Mode has been released. However, unlike Google’s AI Overviews feature that appears atop Google Search whether you like it or not, the more useful AI Mode is optional. The user has to tap it to interact with Google Search as they would with Gemini or ChatGPT. That’s why the button shortcut is so important in the Chrome app for iPhone and Android. It can help people discover the AI Mode feature and start using it for certain Google Search queries. After all, AI Mode doesn’t come as a separate app for iPhone or Android.
One caveat is that the Google Search UI change seen below is available only in the Chrome app. As popular as the browser might be, some users might not want to use Chrome on mobile devices.
What can AI Mode do for you?
Chrome preferences aside, there’s no question that AI Mode is a useful tool built into Google Search. Released in March in preview mode to Google Search Labs users, AI Mode received a wider rollout at I/O 2025 in May. In the following months, Google brought support for the Gemini 2.5 Pro model to AI Mode and introduced a deep research feature similar to what’s available in Gemini and ChatGPT. Google expanded AI Mode to more countries and introduced agentic features in AI Mode in August (restaurant booking). Google then added support for more languages in AI Mode and integrated AI Mode into the Chrome omnibox on desktop. In late September, Google brought visual searches to AI Mode. Earlier this week, Google launched new agentic capabilities in AI Mode, including support for buying tickets and making beauty and wellness appointments.
Put differently, Google is building more AI features into AI Mode, giving users more reasons to use this Google Search mode. Anyone already familiar with how ChatGPT and Gemini work will appreciate having the same chatbot functionality in Google Search, assuming that’s what they use to search the web. Users will still be able to conduct regular Google Searches that use keywords rather than text prompts written in natural language. However, AI Mode will let them switch to a chatbot experience whenever a topic needs a deeper conversation, without losing access to traditional Google Search results.
