Google Introduces 'Simplify': AI-Powered Text Simplification for iOS Users

Google's new 'Simplify' feature for iOS uses AI to make dense text easier to understand | TechCrunch

Google's iOS app is getting a new "Simplify" feature that uses AI to make complex or technical text on the web easier to understand, all without leaving a web page. Simplify features a prompt refinement approach developed by Google Research, and uses Gemini to make complicated text more digestible, without losing key details. Google says its testing found that the simplified text allowed users to better understand and retain the original information. By offering a built-in feature like Simplify, Google is likely hoping that people will stay within its ecosystem of tools and services for help with complex topics, rather than turning to popular third-party tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT. You can use Simplify by selecting any text on a web page you're visiting in the Google app and then tapping the "Simplify" icon that appears. You'll then see a simpler version of the text to help you digest the information and allow you to continue reading. Google's research blog shares an example of what this feature could look like. For example, you may come across a passage that reads: "The complex pathology of this condition involves emphysematous destruction of lung parenchyma, diffuse interstitial fibrosis, changes in the composition of lung immune cells, increased production of immunomodulatory factors, and the prominent remodeling of pulmonary vasculature." The simplified text would then read: This complex condition involves damage to the lung tissue from emphysema, a disease that damages the air sacs in the lungs, and widespread scarring of the lung tissue, called fibrosis. The immune cells in the lungs change, and the body makes more immunomodulatory factors, substances that control the immune system. The blood vessels in the lungs also change a lot." Google says the idea behind the feature is to make it easier for people to grasp complex topics they might come across when trying to learn something new on the web. "Our goal requires models to paraphrase complex ideas accurately without introducing errors or omitting key details," Google said in a blog post. "The rewritten text must help the reader understand challenging material without sacrificing the integrity of the original information."

Google's iOS app will use AI to simplify jargon

Google has a new AI tool that can help iPhone users to better grasp complicated or confusing writing online. The Simplify feature, rolling out in the Google app on iOS starting today, generates a simpler, more digestible version of any highlighted text without leaving the current web page. Simplify is built on Google's Gemini AI model, and was developed by Google Research to make technical jargon easier for anyone to understand without losing key details. For example, Simplify can break down medical terms like "emphysema" (a condition that damages the air sacs in lungs) and "fibrosis" (dense connective tissue or scarring that develops in response to damage) in reports and journals, preventing readers from needing to reference terminology on a separate web page.

Google releases 'Simplify,' an AI that dumbs down text

Exasperated by the prolix verbiage and gratuitously convoluted phraseology that so often permeates technical treatises, philosophical discourses, or the meandering expositions of journalists afflicted by a lack of rhetorical economy? Then Google has a new AI feature for you - provided you use iOS, that is. The Chocolate Factory added a new feature to the Google app for iOS on Tuesday, dubbed "Simplify," which is meant to dumb down complicated writing without losing its meaning. Simplify's addition to the iOS app came with research proving how effective it is and an explanation of how Google achieved the system. What the tech giant calls a "novel ... automated evaluation and iterative prompt refinement loop" echoes the idea of one model evaluating another - conceptually reminiscent of a good old-fashioned generative adversarial network (GAN) - so it's more a case of prompt engineering on autopilot than a game-changing innovation. As Google explained in its research blog, the system works like this: A user selects a chunk of text on a web page from within the iOS Google app's built-in web browser, taps on Simplify, and then a pair of Gemini bots go to work trying to make it more readable. The system works using two evaluation methods: A readability assessment in which one Gemini bot scores the readability of the passage on a score of 1 - 10, and a fidelity assessment that a second Gemini bot (running version 1.5 Pro of the model) uses to "map claims from the original text to the simplified version" to see if any important information was lost or distorted in translation. The twin Geminis go back and forth through readability and fidelity assessments to optimize the passage, then spit it out for the reader, like in the below example provided by Google from a medical paper on emphysema. "This automated process, where one LLM evaluates the output of another and refines its instructions based on performance metrics and granular errors, represents a key innovation," Google said of its work. It's been a few years since we heard of the idea of pitting two neural networks against each other to get better output, but this sounds a lot like what the Mountain View boffins managed to reinvent. Google told us that, while the process seems like a GAN, Simplify doesn't actually use the specific method used by GANs (e.g., generating synthetic data indistinguishable from the real data a model was trained on). The difference is subtle, but Simplify is using multiple LLMs to eliminate the need to engineer a specific prompt, a Google spokesperson told us, rather than using multiple LLMs to generate a specific output. Putting aside whether it's innovative or simply iterative, Simplify works, according to Google's stats. The researchers who developed Simplify put it to the test by presenting 4,563 people with original and simplified passages, and then asking multiple-choice questions to gauge how well they understood the content, and found "statistically significant results demonstrating the value of simplification." According to their findings, the simplified version of the excerpts resulted in 4 percent more accurate quiz scores, which were even greater in certain areas like medical texts (15 percent improvement) and financial docs (6 percent). However, they did admit that LLMs can still get things wrong, even when simplifying jargon-filled writing. "While our system aims for high fidelity, LLM errors are possible, requiring ongoing vigilance," the researchers note. No telling who will exercise that vigilance if the person consuming the summary couldn't fully understand the original. By the way, Google is telling us it's still rolling out across its iOS user base, so if you can't find it, that's why. And sorry, Android users - Google told us that it didn't have anything to share about adding Simplify to "other platforms." Ouch. ®

The Google app can now 'Simplify' technical jargon, but only on iOS

Summary Google has launched a new iOS-exclusive feature called "Simplify" within the Google app, which utilizes its Gemini AI model to explain complex text and technical jargon in a simpler, "explain like I'm five" manner. This differs from the summarization capabilities already present on Android. The Simplify feature, likely accessible via a text selection menu in the Google iOS app, employs a "prompt refinement" approach developed by Google Research to ensure clarity without losing key details, accuracy, or nuance. The Simplify tool uses Gemini's prompt refinement approach to enhance clarity and improve comprehension by explaining complex topics. (Characters with spaces: 118, 130, 143) Google's Gemini does a good enough job of summarizing content that you find on the web, with users being able to task the AI agent with explaining technical text in simpler terms. On Android, this normally works by selecting a block of text online (browsed through the Google app or Chrome), and then tapping the 'Ask Gemini' button. Similar results can also be achieved by invoking Gemini on the webpage and then asking Gemini about the screen. Related Google Gemini: Everything you need to know about Google's next-gen multimodal AI Google Gemini is here, with a whole new approach to multimodal AI Posts Google is now unlocking similar functionality on iOS, but instead of simple summarization, it wants to help users 'Simplify' complex text and technical jargon. Going live now, the feature is literally called Simplify, and it is only accessible via the Google app on iOS (at least for now). I don't have access to the new tool yet, but Google explains that it uses Gemini to explain difficult-to-understand concepts in an easy-to-understand way -- essentially providing an 'explain like I'm five' level of clarity. Translate jargon to plain English Google didn't mention, but the Simplify tool might show up in the More actions section that pops up when you select a block of text on the Google app on iOS, as seen in the screenshot above. To power the Simplify feature, Google is using a novel "prompt refinement" approach developed by Google Research that runs text through Gemini in a way that prevents the loss of key details, accuracy, and nuance that might be important to understanding a complex topic. The tech giant ran a study with a cohort of 4,563 participants to test Simplify on a wide range of complex topics, including medical research, biology, law, finance, literature, philosophy, aerospace, and computer science. Source: Google The study found that Simplify resulted in significant improvements in how well participants understood complex information. As seen in the example above, "the simplification enhances clarity by defining jargon (like 'emphysema' and 'fibrosis'), breaking down a dense sentence, and clarifying complex relationships," which resulted in a notable 38 percent increase (for the text above) in accuracy in regard to comprehension. Whether Simpify eventually lands on the Google app for Android remains to be seen.

Google Search App Can Now 'Simplify' Complex Search Results

Google today said that it's adding a new "Simplify" feature to the Google app for iOS, with the addition aimed at making search results easier to understand. Google says that Simplify is meant to help users understand "jargon" or unfamiliar technical concepts, including medical words that the average person would not know, and technical terms. It uses AI to make "dense text on the web" simpler to comprehend without the user having to leave a website to do more research. To use Simplify in the Google app for iOS, users can select any complex text on a webpage and then tap on the "Simplify" icon to see a new, simpler version. Simplify uses a prompt refinement approach that was developed by Google Research, taking advantage of Gemini to make complicated text more digestible without losing key details. In a research paper, Google said that users selected to test the feature were better able to understand complicated medical, financial, legal, and technical websites when queried after using the Simplify feature.

You can use the Google app to decode any eye-watering jargon you read on your iPhone - here's how

Users can highlight confusing content and tap the "Simplify" button to unravel the jargon Reading an article on a technical or particularly complex subject sometimes feels like navigating a maze rather than following a narrative. Google's iOS app has a new solution if you come across a scientific paper or an article written by someone a little too fond of being obtuse. The new Simplify feature for Google's mobile app rewrites any jargon-filled internet text into language that doesn't require a specialty dictionary, and without leaving the app. To use Simplify, you'll need to browse the web from the Google app. When you hit a wall of needlessly complicated text, you can highlight it, and a little Simplify button will appear. Tapping the button will rework that highlighted paragraph into something far more comprehensible to the average person. Simplify is essentially a shortcut for Google's Gemini AI. Google Research designed a prompt-optimization process that asks Gemini to transform the text into something easier to understand behind the scenes, activating when you tap the Simplify button. The Simplify button won't utterly change your life or redefine how you engage with content online, but it could cut down on the need for new tabs or at least remove the need to copy and paste opaque text into Gemini or ChatGPT every time you run up against a linguistic roadblock. According to the developers of the Simplify tool, the AI translation not only made dense content easier to parse, but it also helped them remember what they read. It's of a piece with other AI tools rolled out by Google to streamline tedious or annoying bits of people's experiences online. It matches neatly with features like Google Gemini widgets or the anticipated Power Up button for improving your prompts. The Simplify feature also falls under the AI enhancement of the browsing experience that Google has deployed (with occasional pratfalls), like the Search Generative Experience and AI Overviews for Search. Simplify feels more directly pitched to individuals, though, since you have to choose to use it. For now, Simplify is iOS-only, and it's not going to be perfect every time. Like any AI tool, it might make a mistake or oversimplify its response and lose some of the nuance found in the original text. That's a tradeoff common to any translation, however. It may also be a tradeoff most users will be happy to make, especially when the alternative is drowning in multisyllabic nonsense about blockchain governance protocols.

Use AI to understand complex text online with Simplify, now on the Google app for iOS.

When you're trying to learn about something new on the web, you might come across content that uses jargon or technical concepts you're not familiar with. Simplify, a new feature in the Google app on iOS, uses AI to make dense text on the web easier to understand -- without leaving a web page. To use Simplify, select any complex text on a web page you're visiting in the Google app. Tap the "Simplify" icon that appears, and you'll see a new, simpler version of the text, helping you quickly understand a new concept so you can keep reading. Simplify features a novel prompt refinement approach developed by Google Research, and uses Gemini to make complicated text more digestible -- without losing key details. In research testing, people found the simplified text to be significantly more helpful than the original complex text, and better retained the information. Learn more about these findings and Simplify with Google Research.

Google's iOS app now packs an AI simplifier

Google is introducing a new "Simplify" feature in its iOS app, leveraging AI to make dense text on the web more understandable without requiring users to leave the webpage. This feature is designed to simplify complex or technical text while preserving key details. The Simplify feature utilizes a prompt refinement approach developed by Google Research, in conjunction with Gemini, to make complicated text more digestible. Google's testing revealed that the simplified text enabled users to better comprehend and retain the original information. To use Simplify, users can select any text on a webpage within the Google app and tap the "Simplify" icon that appears. The feature then presents a simpler version of the text, facilitating easier digestion of the information and allowing users to continue reading. For instance, a complex passage such as: "The complex pathology of this condition involves emphysematous destruction of lung parenchyma, diffuse interstitial fibrosis, changes in the composition of lung immune cells, increased production of immunomodulatory factors, and the prominent remodeling of pulmonary vasculature," would be simplified to: "This complex condition involves damage to the lung tissue from emphysema, a disease that damages the air sacs in the lungs, and widespread scarring of the lung tissue, called fibrosis. The immune cells in the lungs change, and the body makes more immunomodulatory factors, substances that control the immune system. The blood vessels in the lungs also change a lot." Google emphasizes that the goal of Simplify is to make it easier for users to grasp complex topics encountered while learning something new online. The company notes that achieving this requires models to accurately paraphrase complex ideas without introducing errors or omitting crucial details.

Google Simplify feature makes dense web text easier to understand on iOS - Phandroid

Most of us scroll more than we read. And when we do stop to learn something useful, it's usually buried under a pile of jargon and overly technical phrasing. But now, Google wants to make that knowledge easier to digest -- with the help of AI. The new Google Simplify feature, built into the Google app for iOS, does exactly what it says on the tin. Highlight any chunk of dense text, tap the "Simplify" icon, and it instantly rewrites the section in simpler terms. You don't even have to leave the page. It's fast, context-aware, and powered by Google's Gemini AI model. If this reminds you of AI summarization tools, you're not far off. A lot of generative AI products -- from ChatGPT to Perplexity -- offer summaries of articles and documents. But Google's approach here is more focused. Instead of summarizing everything, Simplify rewrites the original text in a way that's still complete, just more understandable. Think of it like a real-time explainer, not a shortcut. This difference matters. Summaries often strip away nuance. Simplify aims to preserve it -- just in clearer language. Google says this is the result of a large-scale research study into how LLMs can break down complex information without losing accuracy. Of course, they still acknowledge that hallucinations and minor errors can happen, and that the feature will need careful monitoring. For now, it's only available on iPhones and iPads via the Google app. Android users are left out, which is ironic -- but also very on brand. Google hasn't said when (or if) it'll expand the feature to other platforms. Still, if you're an iOS user trying to be more intentional with your screen time, the Google Simplify feature could be the most underrated update you didn't know you needed.

Google's iOS App Can Now 'Simplify' Complex Text With AI

The new feature is powered by the Gemini 1.5 Pro AI model Simplify works with all web pages The feature was developed by Google Research Google app for iOS is getting a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that will allow users to help understand complex text in articles and web pages. The Mountain View-based tech giant began shipping the feature, dubbed Simplify, starting Tuesday. Powered by Gemini AI models, the feature lets users highlight the desired text to get an AI-generated rewrite that breaks down complex language, jargon, and subject area-specific technical terms. Simplify was developed by Google Research, and a technical paper detailing the process has been published by the company. In a blog post, the tech giant detailed the new feature rolling out to iOS users. This is a phased rollout, so it might take up to a few days before all Google app for iOS users get access to the AI feature. Google says the AI tool can be useful when a user is trying to learn about a new topic and is struggling to understand the text due to niche terms and jargon used. Once they have access to the feature, they can just highlight the particular block of text, and the AI will automatically rewrite it in a simple-to-understand language. After highlighting desired text, Simplify will appear at the bottom of the screen within the "More actions" panel. It will be available as the first option on the right side. The feature's icon is the letter 'A' and two curved arrows surrounding it. Tapping on this icon will activate the feature. Notably, Simplify generates the rewritten text on the same page, so users do not have to leave the article or research paper to understand the meaning of the complex text. Developed by Google Research, the tool is powered by the Gemini 1.5 Pro AI model. In a technical paper, Google researchers highlighted that the AI tool was developed with a special focus on fidelity assessment. They ensured that the meaning of the original text is retained and errors such as loss of information, adding unrelated words, and distortion of the meaning behind the sentences are identified and corrected before the final output is generated.

Google's iOS app gets AI-powered text simplification feature

Google has introduced a new feature called Simplify in its iOS app, designed to help users better understand complex text online.Google has introduced a new feature called Simplify in its iOS app, designed to help users better understand complex text online. This feature uses Google's Gemini AI model to generate simpler versions of highlighted text without leaving the current web page, as per The Verge. The Simplify feature can be accessed by highlighting any text on a website and tapping the Simplify icon from the menu options. This feature is particularly useful for breaking down technical jargon, such as medical terms, into more digestible language. For example, Simplify can explain terms like "emphysema" and "fibrosis" in a way that's easy to understand. Google's testing showed that people found the simplified versions to be "significantly more helpful than the original complex text." However, the company acknowledges that the study has limitations and emphasises the need for ongoing vigilance to monitor errors. While the Simplify feature is currently available on the iOS Google app, the company hasn't announced plans for Android or desktop Chrome users. According to Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz, "we don't have anything to announce yet, but we're always looking to bring useful features to more of our products," as quoted by the Verge.

Read Smarter: Google's New AI Tool For iPhone Users Turns Complex Text Into Plain English For Better Understanding

Google continues to work to improve the user experience by introducing updates and features that help make navigating your devices seamless. The focus has especially been on AI-driven initiatives and how the technology can be used to enhance offerings and simplify tasks for users. Now, the tech giant has introduced a new feature powered by artificial intelligence called Simplify in its iOS app that is meant to help iPhone users understand complex information in a simplified way or as the feature's name suggests. Starting today, users can pick any piece that they are struggling to understand and then use the tool for a clearer version without the need to switch apps. Google's Gemini AI now brings users Simplify, which was curated by Google Research to make the technical language more understandable and accessible, as reported by The Verge. An example of this is when presented with medical terminology, we are often not able to grasp it fully. Simplify would be used to understand the technical language by simplifying the information to cater to this issue or hiccup. So, if you are trying to grasp information that is technical or has quite the jargon added in the text, you can understand it by simply using the AI tool and are not required to look up to other sources to be able to understand concepts fully. Google has been testing the capability where many users were satisfied with its simplified versions of complex information. While highlighting the feature's utility, the tech giant did recognize that the study had limitations and that more work is needed to avoid potential errors. Those who want to try their hands on the new Simplify feature in the Google apps for iOS simply need just to highlight text on a web page, and then a menu will appear where users have to tap in the Simplify action, and the job will be done. While the availability of the new capability is currently only for iPhone users, given how the company is looking for ways to extend to more platforms or users, we could see it make it to Android or desktop Chrome. Google, by bringing forward the Simplify feature, is determined to ensure that users are able to use this powerful tool for understanding and nuanced content, especially in technical areas where the users lack knowledge.