Google’s New AI 'Simplify' Tool Makes Complex Writing Easy to Understand on iOS

Google’s New AI Tool Simplifies Complex Writing—But Only on iOS

Writers, ever find yourself bogged down by overly complex or jargon-heavy text? Whether it’s dense technical papers, philosophical essays, or verbose journalism, cutting through wordy writing can feel like a chore. Google’s latest AI feature, Simplify, aims to help by transforming complicated passages into clearer, easier-to-digest versions—without losing the original meaning.

How Does Simplify Work?

The feature launched recently on the Google app for iOS. Here’s the gist: when you highlight a block of text in the app’s built-in browser and select Simplify, two AI bots powered by Google’s Gemini model kick into action. One bot scores the passage’s readability on a scale of 1 to 10. The other checks if the simplified text preserves the original claims and information accurately.

These bots iterate back and forth, improving readability while ensuring fidelity. Think of it as an automated prompt engineering loop. Although it’s conceptually similar to generative adversarial networks (GANs)—where two models challenge each other—Google clarifies Simplify doesn’t generate synthetic data like typical GANs. Instead, it uses multiple large language models (LLMs) to optimize the prompt and output.

Real-World Effectiveness

Google tested Simplify by showing 4,563 people original and simplified text excerpts, then quizzing them on the content. The simplified versions led to a 4% overall increase in quiz accuracy. The improvement was even more pronounced in technical fields: medical texts saw a 15% jump and financial documents 6%.

That said, the system isn’t perfect. LLMs can still make mistakes during simplification, which means users should stay alert for possible errors or misinterpretations, especially when relying on the output for critical information.

What This Means for Writers

Simplify can be a valuable tool in your writing arsenal. It’s ideal for:

• Breaking down complex source material for research or inspiration
• Creating clearer summaries for clients or readers
• Checking your own drafts for overly dense or confusing phrasing

Keep in mind, Simplify is currently exclusive to iOS users and rolling out gradually. Android users will have to wait, as Google hasn’t announced plans for other platforms.

For writers looking to improve clarity and efficiency, tools like this show how AI can assist with editing and comprehension. If you want to explore more AI-driven writing aids and courses, check out Complete AI Training’s copywriting AI tools for practical resources.