To upgrade to the new paid version of Gemini, make sure you’re logged into your Google account and go to the Gemini chatbot homepage. On the home screen for the AI tool, tap the hamburger icon in the top left corner. Then click Upgrade to Gemini Advanced. This will direct you to a new page to subscribe through Google One. The AI Premium plan currently costs $20 a month—Google offers a two-month free trial if you're unsure about it. Refresh your browser tab afterwards, and you’ll now see Gemini Advanced at the top of the page as your new, default chatbot experience.
Gemini Advanced is available through a smartphone app too, though Android owners are the first to receive access. Download the fresh Gemini app from the Google Play store to get started. On Android phones, you can also choose to switch your Google Assistant over to Gemini. Own an iPhone instead? You can still use Gemini Advanced through your mobile browser, but in-app access is not yet available. Rather than a custom app, Apple users can expect Google to release Gemini on iOS inside the standard Google app.
How does the subscription compare to what’s offered by OpenAI? With ChatGPT Plus, you get to use the impressive GPT-4 model and try out ChatGPT’s beta features before they are released to a wider audience. With Gemini Advanced, you get access to Google's latest AI model and new features as well as everything included with the Google One subscription. For $20 a month, you receive 2 terabytes of cloud storage, access to advanced photo editing features like Magic Eraser, and 10 percent back in credit for hardware purchases from the Google Store.
The company plans to roll out a Gemini integration with Gmail and Google Docs for AI Premium subscribers, but the exact release date for this feature is unknown. When WIRED previously tested Bard’s tricks in Gmail, the initial results were messy but showed promise. It will be interesting to see if a more powerful large language model improves the user experience of trying to find old emails in an overstuffed inbox.
Updated, February 8, 4pm EST: Added more upgrade guidance and context after the release of Gemini Advanced.
