Goodbye, Google Discover: I finally found the best use case for AI browsers

The community’s hatred of AI is completely valid. Even I can’t help but scoff when I hear about new features landing on operating systems that don’t need them, or apps with additions that offer no tangible benefit. This was my reaction when the first AI web browsers appeared on Windows and the Play Store. However, since I need to stay updated on developments like this, I gritted my teeth and jumped in with both feet.

My first AI browser, Arc Search, was surprisingly good. It was less a browser and more a souped-up search experience, but I did enjoy how it handled search queries. While I didn’t see it as a primary browser — it would never replace Firefox on my Android phone — I was disappointed when The Browser Company announced new things and left Arc behind.

So, I had to find a replacement, and many, many months later, Perplexity launched Comet. The browser effectively wrapped the soft, gooey Perplexity chatbot experience with a chocolatey Chromium shell. This has its issues, but I’ve found a rather brilliant use case for it.

It’s Perplexity with built-in tab management and ad-blocking

I’ll admit that the proliferation of AI is growing tiresome, but the technology does have its merits in certain situations. One of these is bringing masses of data together and simplifying it. This makes it perfect for reading the news.

I previously detailed how I use AI chatbots as a replacement for Google News and Discover. With a well-crafted prompt, I can easily get a sample of the current global news climate, in specific local pockets, and on specific topics. I can control how many stories appear, drill down further into specific details of a story, branch out into related stories, and much more. Using Perplexity for news makes consuming that news far more rewarding and fulfilling.

There is a problem, though. The Perplexity chatbot app isn’t a browser. If I want to read news from an actual source, I’d have to open that link in a separate browser window. This can be a little annoying, and if I have multiple queries on the go, juggling them in another app can be distracting and confusing. This is where Comet really shines.

As a browser with Perplexity built in, I still get the perks of the AI chatbot, but now with smarter tab management for juggling multiple queries. Tapping a source’s URL no longer opens a separate Firefox window but rather a tab within Comet itself. I can now easily critique the information that Comet has provided by perusing the original content. I quite like how the browser also includes additional tabs to view any images or related links displayed with the query.

If it’s a particularly long or messy article, Comet also lets me summarize the text. The browser offers built-in ad-blocking and tracker blocking, and summarizing has the added benefit of bypassing distracting content entirely, including autoplay videos and unrelated images. Hilariously, this nifty feature also seems to bypass paywalls. Provided part of the article has loaded, Perplexity can sneak around the arbitrary block and provide a detailed outline of events.

Comet’s talents aren’t limited to news, either. As mentioned, I often use the browser to funnel multiple sources into a single answer, and a great example of this is the weather. Many popular weather apps only display data from a single source, making the accuracy of that source the most important factor. Using Comet, I can ask Perplexity to draw from numerous sources and aggregate the forecast into a single advisory that offers a broader outlook of potential conditions.

Then there are more particular use cases. I’ve found Comet brilliant for finding books, especially works that I vaguely remember by their subject matter. It’s also a great platform for uncovering more about towns and places when I travel. Again, all this is contained within separate tabs within the browser, making it a practical alternative to the Perplexity chatbot app itself.

Comet is not ready to be your primary Android browser

As much as I appreciate Comet’s ability to tie multiple data strings into a single thread, it has a few annoying traits. If I ask Perplexity to summarize a page on a website, then continue browsing another page on that website, the browser will remain on the previous query related to the previous page. This makes it a little awkward to summarize the following page, but it can be circumvented with a manual prompt.

Then there’s the browsing credentials of Comet itself. If you’re looking for a fully-fledged, mature browsing experience on Android, Comet is not a good choice. It’s incredibly thin on features, awkward to use, and has few editable and customizable options. Syncing bookmarks and history with a desktop browser isn’t available yet. Comet just isn’t a good primary browser on a smartphone right now, but that’s not how I use it.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the privacy concerns. I understand the reluctance to use a browser that can add items to your shopping cart or check your email for you. At present, you don’t need to use any of these features — at least I don’t.

Should you replace News and Discover with Comet as your news source?

In a poll we ran in late 2024, the vast majority of Android Authority readers still use Google News as their primary news app. I can understand this, and I’ve put plenty of work into masking its flaws over the past few months. Nevertheless, it’s easy to use, offers a reasonably broad array of news, and has some degree of customization. But I still find that the news it serves me just isn’t as relevant as I’d like. Discover is even worse in this regard.

With Comet, I can control what I see by using prompts I create. I can choose how many sources are sampled, and many other variables. I can also drill down into specific sources if I wish, ask the browser related questions, and easily branch off into rabbit holes in their own browser tabs. My news consumption habit now consists of research rather than mere reading. You might not need that much control, but if you do, Comet is a no-brainer for your Android app collection. Just don’t use it as your main browser.