By Gregory Zuckerman
Publication Date: 2025-11-21 12:04:00
Perplexity’s AI-first browser Comet hits Android, bringing the browser war to mobile devices. The free app is available on devices running Android 12 or later, with an iOS version also planned, and it presents Perplexity’s conversational search as a primary means of accessing the web on mobile.
What Comet brings to mobile browsing and search
Comet is built around an assistant that summarizes pages, answers complex questions, and demonstrates its reasoning while you browse. Perplexity rebuilt the experience for smaller screens, adapting its desktop UI rather than shrinking it. A floating voice prompt allows you to “ask over” what you’re reading, and the assistant is able to ingest context across tabs in order to improve follow-up recommendations and summaries.
It includes an ad blocker with an opt-in whitelist, so users can support trusted publishers — a nod to the competing demands of distraction-free reading and the economics of the open web. Perplexity’s engine is the default search built into Comet, keeping users in a continuous loop of query, scan, verify, and pivot.
Why this move matters for AI-first mobile browsing
It’s a strategic asset to own the browser on mobile. Chrome makes up around 64% of global mobile browsing, according to StatCounter, with Safari at nearly 25%, and single digits for everyone else. Because the vast majority of web discovery now begins in a browser, the switch from standalone AI answer engine to full mobile browser…
