Users ditch ChatGPT and Google Search for Gemini as AI assistant proves more practical

I turned Gemini into my personal app detective to stop installing the wrong apps

I've long been waiting for Gemini to become the best AI chatbot, but that hasn't happened yet. Gemini still hallucinates a lot and often shows a strong bias in its answers. However, Gemini has its own strengths, and many of those are hard to ignore. One such example is its tight integration with the rest of the Google apps and services. This is one of the reasons I use Gemini almost every day, despite all its flaws. Recently, I took advantage of this integration and turned Gemini into my personal app detective. I was surprised to see how well it performed, saving me time and clearing up confusion. I had one simple objective behind turning Gemini into my app detective: to stop installing the wrong apps on my phone. After weeks of experimenting with this, I can say that anyone can use it to reap the benefits and save time scouting the right apps. How I turned Gemini into my personal app detective There are no hidden tricks for this. It's as straightforward as it gets, so all you do is type the right prompt to find the right apps. Instead of using the Google Play Store app, I open the Gemini app on my phone and ask what I'm looking for. This wasn't possible a couple of months ago, but that's all in the past now, as Google announced the Google Play connected app for Gemini on Android in June this year. If you are not sure what exactly you need, you can explain your objective by typing a prompt, and the chatbot will recommend the right apps along with links to download and install them on your phone. It accurately suggested some of the best apps that fit my requirements every time I needed to install a new app, but had no clue what I should get. For example, a couple of weeks ago, I needed a spirit level indicator to make some of the portraits look properly aligned and not slightly tilted on my walls. Instead of buying one, I reached out to Gemini for help. I wrote a simple prompt in Gemini, asking it to recommend some of the best apps that could work as a replacement for a spirit level indicator. In response, Gemini suggested three spirit level apps, with a short description of each of their strengths, the number of downloads, and the rating on the Google Play Store. It doesn't force me to view sponsored titles in the search results like the Google Play Store does. Gemini gives me a no-nonsense answer about what apps I need to install. You can further filter the results in Gemini by typing more prompts. For example, if you want open source alternatives, you can clearly mention that in the prompt. I don't always type long prompts to install apps on my phone. Instead, when I want to install a specific app on my phone, I open Gemini and type "Install" followed by the name of the app. This is better than typing the name in the Play Store. Gemini's app recommendations show biases, too But I still don't mind it After finding the best app to use my phone as a spirit level indicator, I was thrilled and wanted to see how consistently Gemini performs. But this time around, I put Gemini to the test to check if it shows any bias. I asked Gemini to recommend the best note-taking app, and it suggested three apps, with Google Keep at the top position. Next, I typed another prompt, asking Gemini to recommend the best cloud storage app. Gemini, once again, didn't hesitate to show Google Drive at the top of its list of suggested apps. Google Play Store, on the other hand, showed Microsoft OneDrive at the top after sponsored titles. I ran this test again and asked it to recommend the best app for art and culture enthusiasts, and the number one on the list was Google's Arts & Culture app. However, I don't mind the bias to keep pushing its own apps and services, because Gemini shows a short description, highlighting which app is the best fit for whom. It would've been perfect had Gemini highlighted a summary of recent negative reviews of each app it listed. I won't install an app without Gemini ever again In the last few weeks, I installed four unfamiliar apps on my phone, so I sought help from Gemini every time. I instantly got sound recommendations and decided for myself what to install. I got used to it quickly, and now, I don't want to go back to installing apps on my Android phone the old way. I'd hate to see the wrong apps occupying my storage ever again, and Gemini is the only solution here.

I stopped using ChatGPT as my default AI -- here is when Gemini wins

Google's AI is the most practical when I want to get real work done I've had a ChatGPT Plus subscription since the day it launched. For years, it was the first tab I opened every morning. I relied on it to bounce around ideas, outline drafts and troubleshoot daily problems. It was my undisputed default. And while ChatGPT has far more features than ever, it still falls short sometimes. I can't pinpoint exactly when I found myself organically reaching for Gemini more than ChatGPT, but I've noticed Google's AI works best when I need to get practical work done. Here is exactly when Gemini outshines ChatGPT, and why it might be time to rethink your default AI assistant. 1. It actually knows my inbox and Drive ChatGPT is brilliant in a vacuum, but Gemini lives where my files live. Whether I'm looking for a permission slip for my kids' school or an important document for work, I can ask Gemini to simply find it. I don't even have to know the full name or the date when the document was created or sent to me. I simply prompt Gemini with a few related words and it pulls up what I need With its deep integration into the Google Workspace ecosystem, Gemini pulls context directly from Gmail, Google Docs and Drive. If I need to track down an approval from an old email thread and synthesize it into a new brief, Gemini handles it in one prompt. There is no copying, pasting or formatting required. It reaches into the ecosystem and does the heavy lifting instantly. It's a huge time saver and something ChatGPT just can't do as well. 2. The massive 2-million token advantage When you are staring down a huge pile of research, context limits are infuriating. I've him my limits way too often with other chatbots. ChatGPT tops out relatively early(5-10 messages) compared to Gemini's massive 2-million token context window, which offers generous limits. I can dump entire product manuals, pages of interview transcripts and extensive research PDFs into Gemini all at once. It processes the whole stack without hallucinating or forgetting the first document by the time it finishes reading the last one. 3. Native video and audio processing ChatGPT can expertly analyze any image you upload, but Gemini handles multimedia natively. I can upload a 20-minute YouTube video, and Gemini will watch the entire clip, pull specific timestamps and summarize the core arguments. It processes the audio and visual data simultaneously, moving far beyond just reading a generated text transcript. When I need to review tech keynotes or extract quotes from a recorded interview, Gemini saves me hours of manual scrubbing. ChatGPT falls short when it comes to this capability. 4. Unmatched, real-time web research As a journalist, fact-checking is part of my job. For example, when a major tech announcement drops, I need immediate, accurate information. ChatGPT's web search capabilities have improved, while Gemini is built directly on top of Google Search infrastructure. I trust Gemini to pull in live pricing, breaking news and current events with a speed and accuracy that ChatGPT struggles to match. For anything happening right now, Gemini is the only reliable option. Where I still keep ChatGPT around I have not abandoned ChatGPT entirely because it has many features that Gemini does not. It holds a permanent spot in my workflow because its long-term memory is fundamentally better. I rely on keeping a single, continuous ChatGPT thread open for weeks to stress-test ideas because it remembers my specific logic and preferences over time, something Gemini tends to drop between sessions. ChatGPT also dominates when it comes to custom GPTs and the Canvas interface for line-by-line editing with vibe coding. The takeaway Choosing an AI requires matching the tool to the task. If you want a reliable sounding board with a great memory, keep ChatGPT open but when you need a research powerhouse that understands massive documents, watches videos and connects directly to your inbox, Gemini is the clear winner. Because ChatGPT and Gemini both have a lot to offer in their own unique ways, I use them for different reasons and often together. Have you tried Gemini lately? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Finally, you can visit our dedicated Tom's Guide Savings Squad hub for expert help on getting the best products for less.

I stopped using Google Search for these 4 tasks after Gemini got better

For years, I have leaned on Google Search for research work, information gathering, and planning upcoming road trips or vacations. But over the past year or so, something quietly changed. I've realized I am no longer using Google Search for certain tasks. Instead, I've been relying on Gemini. It's not that Search got worse. I still can't imagine life without it. But there are a handful of tasks where Gemini gets the job done faster and more efficiently. I almost ignored the Gemini button in Chrome, but now it saves me hours every week The Gemini Ask button is more useful than it looks Posts 12 By Anu Joy Planning a trip without drowning in a sea of tabs Before Gemini, planning a vacation or a road trip involved spending hours sifting through Google Search results, trying to find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions. That's on top of checking the weather and traffic conditions, finding the best travel SIM options, and looking up metro or bus schedules. The first struggle was finding the right information in a sea of results. Then came the struggle of organizing the information into something usable so I could find everything as and when needed. At the end of this exercise, I'd come out with a plan and no energy left for the trip it was supposed to be for. With Gemini, this is no longer the issue. I describe my budget, preferences, days, and possible destinations, and Gemini does the rest. It comes up with a detailed itinerary with all the places I should visit, the best hotels and restaurants, and even weather recommendations. I also get information about which travel SIM to buy, the metro or bus schedules, and more, within seconds. More importantly, everything is in one place. After I tweak the itinerary to my liking with Gemini's help, I ask it to create the final day-by-day schedule and add relevant events to Google Calendar. Gemini in Chrome has only made this experience better, as I no longer need to open 10 tabs to find the right information. That's hours of work saved, not to mention the time I spend on Google Search brainstorming and finding the right information. Figuring out how to do something I needed to redo the network setup across my house and home office. With several new devices, routers, switches, and multiple LAN cables in the mix, it was a complex and time-consuming task that I kept pushing to the next weekend, every week. In the pre-Gemini era, I would spend a day or two before starting the actual work Googling the best setup process, reading through forums, and mapping the network topology. Thanks to Gemini's help, I redid the entire network setup in a single weekend afternoon. I described the entire situation to Gemini, added a snapshot of the current setup and the new devices, and asked for the recommended topology. Based on the recommendation, I made a few changes to suit my needs and then asked Gemini to create a detailed step-by-step guide for the setup. Without Gemini, I would have put off this entire project for weeks, dreading the research and planning alone. Gemini took care of that so that I could focus on the actual work. Getting to the point of something I come across dozens of important documents, articles, and PDFs every day. And as much as I would love to read them all, it's just not possible, especially since I also look after our 10-month-old son. In many cases, I only wanted to find specific information from these documents or articles. For example, a single number or law, or a verdict. If it's an article, I would previously use Google Search for the title plus the relevant keywords in hopes that it would surface the relevant information I needed. Now, I hand Gemini the link or document and ask for exactly what I want. It comes back with the relevant information and just enough context to make sense of it, without the paragraphs I was only going to skip. And if I have a doubt, I ask a follow-up question, instead of opening a new tab and starting a new Google Search session. Gemini helps me get to the point I was looking for in a fraction of the time and effort of Google Search. And that's what really matters. Deciding between two things worth buying When finalizing a purchase, I would previously spend hours on Google Search, comparing the shortlisted options, reading reviews, and identifying pros and cons. This is harder than it sounds, as the top results were often listicles or reviews that barely talked about the issues. Now I tell Gemini the products that I'm considering, my priorities, and the budget. Within seconds, I get a detailed comparison of the shortlisted products, their trade-offs, and a recommendation. Hallucinations are a real issue with AI chatbots, so I feed Gemini the links to the official product pages and always ask it to double-check against them. That way, I know the recommendation is built on accurate information. Gemini does not make the final decision for me, but it helps me get to a point where I can make an informed decision in minutes instead of hours. Search is here to stay, but Gemini is the future I still use Google Search, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon. It's still the first thing I open when I need to find something important. What's changed is that a whole category of tasks stopped being about finding the right information and started being about planning, figuring out, summarizing, and getting to the point. For those, Gemini beats Search hands down. Just like Gemini replaced a bunch of apps on my phone, it has replaced Google Search for several tasks.