Perplexity Expands AI Browser Comet to Android, Intensifying Competition in Mobile AI Browsing

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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AI search company Perplexity has launched its Comet browser on Android, marking the first major mobile deployment of an AI-centric browser. The app features voice mode, tab summarization, and built-in ad blocking as competition heats up in the AI browser space.

Perplexity Brings AI Browser to Mobile Market

AI search company Perplexity has officially launched its Comet browser on Android devices, marking a significant milestone as the first major AI-centric browser to arrive on mobile platforms

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. The startup, which initially debuted Comet on desktop in July exclusively for its $200-per-month Pro subscribers, has now made the browser freely available to all Android users

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Source: Geeky Gadgets

Source: Geeky Gadgets

Core Features and Mobile Optimization

The Android version of Comet brings most of the desktop browser's capabilities to mobile devices, though Perplexity emphasized that it "didn't want to just force a desktop experience onto mobile"

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. Users can set Perplexity as their default search engine and interact with the Comet Assistant through voice commands to ask questions about open tabs

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The mobile app includes several key features designed for smartphone users. The "smart summarization" capability provides AI-generated summaries of open web tabs, while the built-in ad blocker helps eliminate distracting pop-ups

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. Users can also whitelist trusted sites to ensure they continue generating revenue

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Source: Phandroid

Source: Phandroid

Strategic Platform Choice and Future Plans

Perplexity's decision to launch on Android first appears strategically motivated by business partnerships and market dynamics. The company noted that Android has been a priority due to "the volume of carriers and OEMs that have asked the startup to include Comet on their devices and solutions"

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. This follows an earlier partnership with Motorola to preload the Perplexity app on devices, though the company hasn't specified whether this agreement extends to the Comet browser.

The Android ecosystem may also provide advantages for alternative browser adoption. Unlike iOS, which channels all apps through the App Store, Android users have access to multiple marketplaces and can more easily change their default browser through a dedicated control panel

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While an iOS version is planned, Perplexity is focusing on expanding Android functionality in the coming weeks. The company aims to add a conversational agent capable of searching across sites, shortcuts for quick assistant actions, and a fully functional password manager

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Source: TechCrunch

Source: TechCrunch

Intensifying AI Browser Competition

Comet's mobile launch occurs amid growing competition in the AI browser space. Google has integrated Gemini into Chrome to provide AI-generated tab summaries and information from its app ecosystem

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. Atlassian recently acquired The Browser Company for $610 million to develop the AI-powered Dia browser as an agentic platform for knowledge workers.

However, most AI browser initiatives have focused on desktop platforms. The Browser Company released Arc Search for mobile last year but hasn't provided significant updates, instead shifting focus to Dia, which lacks a mobile version

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. This gives Perplexity a potential first-mover advantage in the mobile AI browser market.

Security Considerations and Data Strategy

The expansion into AI browsing raises security questions that the industry continues to address. Security experts have highlighted vulnerabilities in AI agents that could pose risks, prompting Perplexity to acknowledge in October that "some of the new paradigms around attacks aided by AI would require rethinking security from the ground up"

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Perplexity has been transparent about its business model, stating that launching a browser helps collect customer data for more effective ad targeting

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. This approach has already drawn complaints from Amazon, particularly regarding AI integration in shopping experiences, and could potentially benefit scammers.

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