Perplexity AI has launched its Comet browser for mobile, taking on Google in the Android ecosystem. Perplexity says it will soon release an iOS app as well. The AI-powered Comet browser debuted in July on a limited basis for Mac and Windows desktops, followed by a wider release in October. The Comet browser uses Perplexity’s AI-powered search engine to answer questions, either typed or posed conversationally, and lets users mention specific tabs or can focus on open tabs. It can also agentically complete tasks. Perplexity hasn’t disclosed Comet usage figures, but says manufacturers are already requesting to include Comet on-device.

“Earlier this year, the startup partnered with Motorola to preload the app on the company’s devices, but Perplexity didn’t specify if the agreement would extend to pre-installing the new Comet browser as well,” reports TechCrunch.

“Perplexity said the browser can research and shop on your behalf … and you can look at what action the Comet assistant is taking,” explains TechCrunch, noting that Comet’s “Android version has an in-built ad blocker.”

“Other AI chatbot developers have also been embedding their technology into browsers — the latest being OpenAI with the launch of its Atlas product” for ChatGPT, writes Bloomberg. “AI and search companies are especially keen to capture more of consumers’ mobile activity, given nearly 70 percent of Internet traffic happens on mobile devices, according to data from Similarweb.”

Microsoft is also in the mobile search space for the past year, having integrated its Copilot assistant into the Edge browser for desktop and mobile. And OpenAI is “exploring what a mobile version of the Atlas browser would look like,” according to Bloomberg.

In a blog post, Perplexity outlines Comet mobile features, including the ability to “chat with tabs” using voice mode in the Perplexity app to quickly find information across open tabs. Comet will also summarize searches, synthesizing information culled across all open tabs — a feature Perplexity says has proven popular in the desktop version.

“At the heart of Comet is a built-in AI assistant that works in the background to block distractions and proactively assists with any task, while keeping you in total control,” is the company’s summary pitch.

The Wall Street Journal road-tested some AI-powered browsers and concludes that they are “never going back to the boring old kind.”

For the Android launch, Comet has been “redesigned somewhat with smaller devices in mind” while maintaining similar functionality, says Bloomberg, observing that “the startup has been working to integrate its assistants on additional platforms and services.”