Google launches Gemini in Chrome browser in seven new Asia-Pacific countries

Google expands Gemini in Chrome: the built-in AI assistant is now available in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The feature works on desktop and iOS — except in Japan, where it's desktop-only for now.

AI-processed from TechCrunch; edited by Hamidun News
Google launches Gemini in Chrome browser in seven new Asia-Pacific countries
Source: TechCrunch. Collage: Hamidun News.
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Google expands the geography of its built-in AI assistant Gemini in the Chrome browser: the feature is now available to residents of seven countries — Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. Gemini is integrated directly into the browser, allowing users to interact with AI while working online — without switching between applications and tabs. The company is rolling out the feature simultaneously on desktop and iOS in all new countries, with one exception: in Japan, support is limited to desktop devices only.

The expansion comes amid intensifying competition in the segment of browsers with built-in AI. Microsoft has long integrated Copilot into Edge, and Opera and Arc are also experimenting with native AI features. Google's entry specifically into the Asia-Pacific region appears strategically justified: Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are among the fastest-growing internet markets in the world with a combined audience of hundreds of millions of users.

Until now, Gemini in Chrome was available mainly in the USA and a number of Western markets. Now the reach has grown significantly — and this is a clear signal that Google views the built-in AI assistant not as an experiment, but as a key browser feature for a global audience. For users in new countries, this means the appearance of an AI assistant directly in the Chrome address bar and sidebar without the need to install extensions or open separate services.

How actively the audience will take advantage of this opportunity will be shown in the coming months, but the fact of geographic expansion itself indicates that Google is betting on Gemini as a central element of the browser experience.

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Zhemal Khamidun — CPO at Alpina Digital, product manager of AlpinaGPT. Building AI products since 2019. Hamidun News is a pet project that grew into a production aggregator with 6,000+ readers.
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