According to ZDNet, AI startup Perplexity announced Thursday that its Comet browser is now available on Android, marking the first mobile version of the AI-powered web browser. The Android app includes smart summarization features that generate AI summaries of open web tabs and comes with a built-in ad blocker. Originally launched in July as a $200 per month service for Perplexity Max subscribers, Comet became free for all users in October with some paid users getting access to a “background assistant” for complex queries. The company has redesigned the mobile experience rather than just porting the desktop version, positioning Comet as a more “agentic” alternative to traditional browsers like Chrome.
The Android opportunity
Here’s the thing about Perplexity‘s Android play – it’s actually pretty smart strategically. Android is arguably more open to alternative apps than Apple’s walled garden. You’ve got multiple app stores, easier default browser switching, and generally less friction for users who want to try something different. The process of changing your default browser on Android is literally just Settings > Apps > Default apps – dead simple. On iOS? It’s possible since 2020, but way more cumbersome. That reduced friction matters when you’re trying to get people to break habits they’ve built over decades.
The Google problem
But let’s be real – challenging Google on Android is like trying to sell ice at the North Pole. Chrome comes pre-installed as the default on basically every Android device. Google owns the entire ecosystem. Millions of people have been using Chrome for years – it’s woven into their daily habits. Perplexity is essentially trying to convince people to voluntarily switch from something that works perfectly fine to something that’s… well, different. And Google isn’t sitting still either – they’ve already integrated Gemini into Chrome with AI summaries and other features that directly compete with what Perplexity offers.
The AI browser wars heat up
The timing here is fascinating. We’re seeing this massive land grab in the AI browser space right now. Google’s upgrading Chrome with Gemini, Atlassian just acquired The Browser Company for $610 million to work on their Dia browser, and now Perplexity’s pushing hard on mobile. Everyone seems to agree that the old model of web browsing – clicking through endless links – feels increasingly outdated when you can just ask an AI to give you the answer directly. But are people really ready to abandon Chrome en masse? That’s the billion-dollar question.
The adoption challenge
Look, I’m skeptical about how quickly any of this will actually catch on. Changing browser habits is incredibly difficult – remember when everyone was going to switch to Firefox or Opera? Yeah, me neither. The value proposition has to be massive to get people to overcome that inertia. Smart summarization and ad blocking are nice features, but are they enough to make millions of Android users go through the trouble of changing their defaults? Probably not on their own. The real test will be whether Perplexity can deliver an AI experience that’s so much better than what Chrome offers that it becomes a no-brainer switch. We’re not there yet, but the battle lines are definitely being drawn.
