Perplexity’s Android Assistant Promises Free Reasoning—If You Replace Gemini

Aravind Srinivas, founder of Perplexity—billed as a competitor to Google—recently made an announcement on X that’s grabbed plenty of attention. He revealed that Perplexity’s Android assistant will offer free reasoning capabilities if users replace Google’s Gemini as their default assistant. While the announcement is exciting, it’s also a bit ambiguous, leaving users with some questions.

Reasoning models, such as DeepSeek’s R1, are designed to “think” before responding, resulting in more reliable and higher-quality answers. Srinivas emphasized that this technology will enhance Perplexity’s assistant, making it a more robust and dependable option for users.

Query Limits vs. Free Reasoning—What’s the Deal?

Before this announcement, Srinivas shared that Perplexity Pro users would receive 500 daily DeepSeek R1 queries, while free users would be limited to 5 queries. Just two hours later, he stated that the assistant would gain reasoning capabilities and be freely available—provided users set it as their default instead of Gemini.

This has led to some confusion. Will users truly get unlimited reasoning access for replacing Gemini? Or will they still face the query limits mentioned earlier? Srinivas hasn’t clarified this yet, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Hosted in the U.S. and Uncensored

Srinivas also pointed out that Perplexity’s DeepSeek R1 models are hosted in the U.S. and are uncensored, unlike certain other models hosted by DeepSeek. This lack of censorship could make the assistant even more appealing to users seeking transparency and reliability in their AI interactions.

A Game-Changer for AI?

If Perplexity can indeed offer unlimited reasoning capabilities for users who switch from Gemini, it would mark a significant leap in the AI space. For those who’ve tried DeepSeek, the difference is clear—its reasoning models provide answers that are far more detailed and thoughtful compared to traditional AI models.

Try It Out Now

While we wait for reasoning to fully roll out on the Perplexity assistant, users can explore DeepSeek R1 by switching to Pro search in the Perplexity app. Just select R1 to experience the model’s step-by-step reasoning process. It’s similar to how the DeepSeek app functions, and it’s a great way to see the potential of reasoning-based AI in action.

With Srinivas’s bold vision, Perplexity is positioning itself as a serious contender in the AI assistant market. Whether users embrace it over Google’s Gemini will likely depend on how these promises translate into real-world functionality.

Read Srinivas’s original announcement here: Aravind Srinivas on X.