According to Android Police, Google’s lead product manager for Google AI Studio and the Gemini API, Logan Kilpatrick, has confirmed the company is making a “huge investment” in a “Gemini App UX 2.0” right now. This comes in direct response to user criticism on X comparing Gemini’s front-end unfavorably to ChatGPT. Kilpatrick also revealed Google is actively developing a native Gemini application for macOS, a platform where it currently only offers web access. Furthermore, Ammar Reshi, the lead product and design head for Google AI Studio, indicated a native mobile app for that developer platform, tentatively called “Build Anything,” is in the works for iPhone and Android. This multi-pronged effort signals Google’s recognition that its AI interfaces have been lagging behind its core model capabilities.
The Interface Problem
Here’s the thing: Gemini Advanced is a powerful model. But using it? It’s often a chore. The current app and web interface feel like an afterthought, burying features and making simple tasks like uploading multiple files more cumbersome than they need to be. ChatGPT, for all its own issues, nailed this part early with slick, native desktop apps for Windows and Mac. Those apps aren’t just about looks—they enable deeper system integration, letting the AI work with local files and other applications seamlessly. Google‘s been playing catch-up on the model side for a while, but this admission shows they know the user experience is a critical battleground they’re currently losing. You can’t win the AI race if people don’t enjoy using your product.
Why Native Apps Matter
So why is a native Mac app such a big deal? It’s not just about aesthetics. As AI models move toward becoming true “agents” that can perform tasks across your system, a web browser is a sandbox. It’s limiting. A native app can request the permissions and system-level access needed to, say, organize your desktop files, analyze local documents without upload hassles, or integrate directly with your coding terminal or note-taking app. That’s the future OpenAI is building toward with its ChatGPT desktop integration, and Google can’t afford to be stuck in a browser tab. This move is a prerequisite for Gemini to be truly useful, not just a smart chatbot you visit on a website.
The Bigger Picture
Look, the rapid-fire announcement of a Gemini UX overhaul, a native Mac app, and a mobile AI Studio app tells a clear story. Google is in full-on execution mode to surround its Gemini models with professional-grade tools. The “Build Anything” mobile app for AI Studio is particularly telling—it’s aimed at developers, the crowd that builds the ecosystem. Google’s strategy seems to be: fix the consumer-facing app to compete with ChatGPT directly, while also empowering builders to create with Gemini on any device. It’s a smart one-two punch. I think the real question is timing. Google says there’s no release timeline, but given their pace, could we see these before the end of the year? Probably. The pressure is definitely on.
