I spotted a new bottom bar in Chrome on iOS with an “Ask Gemini” option. It opens the browser’s “AI assistant” without leaving the page. The feature is available in recent TestFlight builds.
The bottom bar includes three options: Ask Gemini, New tab, and All tabs. It stays visible during browsing and keeps these actions within easy reach.
Tapping “Ask Gemini” opens an assistant panel instead of a separate screen. The AI assistant appears as a dark card with a prompt. At the top, the interface is labeled “AI Mode,” with tabs for All, Images, Videos, News, and Maps. It also shows suggested prompts to start a query quickly. The page remains visible in the background, so you can read and ask questions at the same time.
The feature is being tested behind internal Chrome flags, including “Chrome Next IA” and the “Assistant Container”. These flags are not enabled by default.
We recently reported that Chrome is testing an AI assistant panel on iOS that can open over webpages. That earlier version focused on the panel itself. This version adds a clear entry point through the browser’s bottom bar.
The assistant does not interact with page content in any visible way yet. For now, it works as a layer where you can type questions and keep the page in view. In current tests, the bottom bar with “Ask Gemini” may appear in purple as the feature is still in development.
