iOS Just Got Another Google App Before Android, And It Could Change The Way You Write

Despite owning its own mobile operating system, Google occasionally releases new apps on iPhone before Android. The latest one is called Google AI Edge Eloquent, which is available as a free download on iPhone. The "AI" in the name makes Google's decision somewhat puzzling, considering that Google currently has an advantage over Apple when it comes to AI tools available to users on mobile devices. Gemini outperforms Siri, and Google's Pixel phones often offer exclusive AI features before other Android phones. But rather than pushing Google AI Edge Eloquent to Pixel 10 phones before other Android devices, Google quietly launched the app in Apple's App Store.

Google AI Edge Eloquent turns dictation into polished text, and it's an app that might change how people write. Google positions it as a "premium AI voice dictation without subscription" app. Eloquent lets you dictate your thoughts to your iPhone, just like other dictation apps available on the device. But rather than just printing the raw text, complete with your speech patterns, including pauses and the "uhms" and "ahs" that are part of regular speech, Eloquent uses on-device AI to process the text into various formats, cleaning up your dictations and turning it into "clean, accurate prose," as Google explains in Eloquent's App Store listing.

Eloquent can be used to turn voice memos into copy, whether it's messages, emails, or longer text. The AI doesn't generate text following a prompt; it just transforms your raw output into the text you may have written with a keyboard. The process can be faster than writing on the iPhone or editing voice notes taken with other apps. Eloquent could also be a solution for taking notes in a meeting or class, though Google doesn't mention these uses.

While Google uses AI to process the text, Google AI Edge Eloquent doesn't process data in the cloud via Gemini, unless you want more advanced text generation features. Instead, Google uses its Gemma AI architecture, which processes data on the device. That means all your voice notes recorded with Eloquent will stay private. Google says in the App Store description that Google AI Edge Eloquent is designed to offer "uncompromising privacy," adding that "your audio, confidential conversations, and personal data never leave your device." For added peace of mind, the app lets users turn off cloud mode, the feature that would allow more advanced text editing.

Eloquent also lets users add their own vocabulary to the app to personalize the text output. Google explains on the app's website that Eloquent can connect to Workspace data like Gmail to extract more unique words, but that feature is optional. The App Store description also notes that the app has been optimized to work on older iPhones rather than requiring the newest hardware. You'll need iOS 16 or later to use Google AI Edge Eloquent.

Other than the absence of an Android version, which Google teases on its website, Eloquent doesn't have many limitations. It only supports English, though the model may transcribe words in other languages. It's not available in select European markets, including the U.K., Switzerland, and the European Union, as Google is dealing with regulatory approval issues in those countries. Also, the app lacks keyboard support, but you can copy the text and edit it in other apps. That said, Google doesn't impose any usage limits on Eloquent, meaning users won't have to pay attention to how much text they've created with Eloquent within a given period.