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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIn July 2025, two different free offers put India at the centre of the consumer-AI race. Airtel customers could claim 12 months of Perplexity Pro, while eligible Indian students aged 18 and over could receive a year of Google AI Pro. Both promotions have closed to new applicants: Airtel’s redemption window ended on January 16, 2026, and Google’s student registration ended on September 15, 2025. People who activated either offer may still have access until their individual 12-month term ends.
The offers were not interchangeable freebies. Perplexity was distributed as an AI search and answer service through Airtel; Google bundled Gemini with study tools, Google-app integration, video creation and storage. Their common purpose was strategic: turn a large Indian audience into habitual users before the free period ended.
What Airtel customers received from Perplexity
On July 17, 2025, Bharti Airtel announced a 12-month Perplexity Pro subscription for eligible customers using Airtel mobile, Wi-Fi or DTH services. Activation was handled through the Airtel Thanks app. Airtel said the annual benefit was worth ₹17,000 and described the offer as available across its 360 million-customer base, subject to the applicable terms.
Perplexity Pro is more than the service’s standard free tier. Airtel’s announcement highlighted:
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#1 Best Overall
- Attention-grabbing design meets the latest evolution of the Google Pixel Camera on the new Google Pixel 11 Pro; Gemini Intelligence helps manage details so you can live in the moment[1]; and the phone is available in two sizes
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan: Works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers[2]
- Stay informed without looking at your screen: When your phone is face down, Pixel HiLight gently alerts you with subtle glowing lights when your favorite contacts are calling or you’re talking with Gemini; exclusive to Google Pixel 11 Pro phones
- Magic Capture catches the moment as you live it: With just one tap, Pixel 11 Pro captures video and photos, and automatically edits, crops, and unblurs a curated collection, ready to share – and you get the memory of how it felt to be in the moment
- Two new cameras for more brilliant photos: A larger telephoto sensor captures 30% more light for clear, beautiful photos and videos, even in the dark[3]; Pixel’s longest zoom ever helps you capture details from impressive distances[4]
- Higher limits for Pro searches
- Access to advanced AI models
- Deep Research
- Image generation
- File uploads and analysis
- Perplexity Labs for more involved projects
Eligibility depended on maintaining an active, qualifying Airtel service. The Airtel terms also stated that the promotion could be redeemed only between July 17, 2025 and January 16, 2026. After the promotional period, Perplexity could renew at its then-current rate unless the subscriber cancelled or selected another available plan. The precise renewal and cancellation options depend on the account’s applicable terms, so anyone who activated the offer should check the subscription page rather than assume that “free for a year” means free indefinitely.
Airtel’s announcement is available at airtel.in.
What Google offered Indian students
Google India announced its student promotion on July 15, 2025. It offered one year of Google AI Pro to eligible students in India aged 18 and over who completed registration by September 15, 2025. That wording matters: the offer was not an automatic upgrade for every college student or every Indian resident.
Google positioned the package around education, creation and productivity. The announced benefits included:
- Gemini 2.5 Pro
- Homework help, exam preparation and writing assistance as described by Google
- Deep Research
- Higher limits in NotebookLM
- Gemini Live
- Veo 3 and Flow for video creation
- Gemini features in Gmail, Docs, Sheets and other Google apps
- 2 TB of Google storage
The original announcement and eligibility information remain on Google India’s blog. The feature list describes what Google included in the promotion; it is not a guarantee that an AI answer is accurate, suitable for unsupervised academic work or safe for confidential material.
Rank #2
- Google Pixel 10a is a durable, everyday phone with more[1]; snap brilliant photography on a simple, powerful camera, get 30+ hours out of a full charge[2], and do more with helpful AI like Gemini[3]
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan; it works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers
- Pixel 10a is sleek and durable, with a super smooth finish, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 7i display, and IP68 water and dust protection[4]
- The Actua display with 3,000-nit peak brightness shows up clear as day, even in direct sunlight[5]
- Plan, create, and get more done with help from Gemini, your built-in AI assistant[3]; have it screen spam calls while you focus[6]; chat with Gemini to brainstorm your meal plan[7], or bring your ideas to life with Nano Banana[8]
The two offers at a glance
| Offer | Who qualified | How it worked | Main emphasis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perplexity Pro via Airtel | Eligible active Airtel mobile, Wi-Fi and DTH customers | Claim through Airtel Thanks; 12 months | AI-powered web search, cited answers, research and files | Redemption closed January 16, 2026; renewal could apply after the free term |
| Google AI Pro student offer | Eligible students in India aged 18 and over | Register by September 15, 2025; one year | Gemini, study assistance, Google apps, NotebookLM, video tools and storage | Registration closed September 15, 2025 |
Why the announcements looked like a direct contest
Google’s student announcement came on July 15, 2025, followed by Airtel’s Perplexity announcement on July 17. The proximity made the offers look like rival attempts to capture Indian users at the same moment. The dates establish a closely timed contest, but they do not prove that either company launched in response to the other.
The competitive overlap is broader than chatbot quality. Perplexity presents itself as an AI search and answer engine, while Gemini is embedded in Google’s search, Android and productivity ecosystem. The fight concerns which service becomes a default habit for finding information, preparing assignments, writing, analysing documents, creating media and storing work.
Why Airtel’s distribution mattered to Perplexity
For a relatively young AI company, reaching users one by one is expensive. Airtel could place Perplexity in front of an existing telecom audience through a familiar billing and service app. That lowered the friction of trying a premium product and gave Perplexity a route to users who might never have searched for it independently.
Experts quoted in reporting by Scroll interpreted the arrangement as a way to increase adoption, build repeated use and strengthen Perplexity’s position with investors. Those are strategic interpretations, not published proof that every customer became an active user or converted to a paid plan. Activation counts, downloads, monthly active users and sustained usage are different measurements.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Why Google targeted students
Students are high-frequency information users. They search, read, summarise, draft, revise, translate, code and organise material repeatedly through the academic year. Giving them a year of advanced Gemini access could make Google’s tools part of those routines while also exposing them to Gmail, Docs, Sheets, NotebookLM and cloud storage.
Google later said that more than two million students in India had access to its advanced AI tools by November 7, 2025. That is a company-reported reach figure, not an independent count of active users or evidence of educational outcomes. The update is documented at Google’s India blog.
Why India is strategically important
India combines scale, mobile-first usage and strong distribution for global technology companies. The original coverage cited more than 700 million internet users and a projected domestic AI market of $17 billion by 2027; those figures should be read as attributed projections rather than a current, independently verified market measurement.
- Distribution: Android, Google services and telecom operators can put AI tools in front of large audiences quickly.
- Diverse contexts: Multiple Indian languages, education systems, occupations and connectivity conditions expose models to varied real-world use, including lower-resource language settings.
- Market openness: India is accessible to many US-based technology companies, unlike China, where most such services face heavy restrictions.
- Competitive importance: Google, Meta, YouTube, WhatsApp, Microsoft and other major platforms already treat India as a core market.
That combination makes India both a revenue opportunity and a place where companies can test whether AI becomes part of ordinary search, study and work.
Rank #4
- Google Pixel 10 Pro is the ultimate Pixel experience, featuring advanced AI with Gemini, unbelievable camera quality, impeccable design in two sizes, and the next-gen Google Tensor G5 chip[1]
- Unlocked Android phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan[2]; it works - Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers
- Get a head start on syncing your data before it even arrives: After you purchase your new Pixel, look for an email that explains how to transfer your photos, videos, passwords, and more in just a few quick steps[11]
- Pixel’s pro camera system makes everything look amazing, even in low light; capture more of the scene with advanced Google AI models, and bring out incredible details with 100x Pro Res Zoom, stunning 50 MP images, and super steady videos in 8K[10]
- Pixel 10 Pro is built with durable aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for scratch and drop resistance; the 6.3-inch Super Actua display with 3,300-nit peak brightness is easy on the eyes, even in direct sunlight[3,13,18]
What “free” buys the companies
Distribution and habit formation
A free premium year removes the price barrier at the moment a user is deciding whether to try a new service. Repeated use can turn an unfamiliar brand into a default tool, making it harder for a rival to displace later.
Conversion after the promotion
Both campaigns created a future subscription decision. Some users may pay to retain features; others may return to a free tier or switch services. The eventual conversion rate was not established by these announcements.
Feedback and usage data
AI providers can learn from how people use their products, subject to their privacy policies, settings and applicable consent mechanisms. That does not establish that either company collected a specific category of personal information through these promotions. Users should review data-use, retention and training controls before uploading coursework, identity documents, medical information, company files or unpublished research.
Brand and competitive position
Perplexity gained a chance to present itself as an alternative to Google and ChatGPT. Google reinforced Gemini’s place inside products many Indian users already use. More users can create stronger feedback loops and brand familiarity, but access alone does not prove better answers, durable loyalty or a successful paid business.
Best Value
- Google Pixel 7 is powered by Google Tensor G2; it’s faster, more efficient, and more secure, with the best photo and video quality yet on Pixel[1].Other camera description:Front,Rear.Bluetooth Version 5.2 with dual antennas for enhanced quality and connection.
- Unlocked Android 5G phone gives you the flexibility to change carriers and choose your own data plan[2]; works with Google Fi, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and other major carriers
- Pixel’s Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours; when Extreme Battery Saver is turned on, it can last up to 72 hours[3]
- The 6.3-inch Pixel 7 display is super sharp, with rich, vivid colors; it’s fast and responsive for smoother gaming, scrolling, and moving between apps[4]
- Google Pixel 7 has wide and ultrawide lenses with up to 8x Super Res Zoom[5]; and Cinematic Blur brings more drama to your videos
Is this really a battle over search?
Yes, if search is understood broadly. Perplexity’s interface is explicitly built around web research and cited answers. Gemini can answer questions and conduct research, but its competitive advantage also includes Google apps, Android, storage, NotebookLM and multimodal creation.
The strategic contest therefore includes:
- Which service users open first on a phone
- Whether AI replaces or sits alongside traditional search
- How students and workers incorporate AI into daily workflows
- Whether files, notes and storage become tied to one provider
- Whether free users become paying subscribers
- How developers and organisations evaluate each ecosystem
The privacy and sovereignty questions
India’s opportunity is not only to consume foreign AI products. Policymakers and technology companies also want domestic capability, control over infrastructure and confidence that sensitive data is governed appropriately.
That creates three separate questions. First, what adoption and revenue do global providers gain? Second, what product feedback or behavioural insight may arise from usage under their policies? Third, does widespread dependence on overseas models complicate India’s longer-term technology sovereignty? Reporting in Scroll presented these as expert concerns and strategic possibilities, not proof of wrongdoing. The practical response for users is to minimise sensitive uploads and inspect account controls.
What happened after the original promotions
The offers did not mark the end of telecom-linked AI distribution. On October 30, 2025, Google announced an 18-month Google AI Pro offer for eligible Jio users, showing that partnerships with large connectivity providers remained a central route to Indian consumers. Details are in Google’s announcement.
Recommended Free Tools
For anyone who activated the earlier offers, the useful action now is administrative rather than promotional: check the subscription end date, review renewal settings and cancel before a paid renewal if the service is no longer wanted. Do not assume that an expired public campaign automatically ended an already activated subscription on the same date.
What the offers mean for users today
The original Airtel and Google student campaigns are closed. Their lasting significance is not a permanent discount but a change in how AI products reach consumers. Model quality matters, but distribution, integration and the ability to become part of a student’s or household’s routine can matter just as much.
Perplexity was the better conceptual fit for someone seeking a search-first experience with cited web answers, research tools and file analysis. Google AI Pro was the broader fit for students and Google users who valued Gemini, NotebookLM, Google-app integration, video tools and 2 TB of storage. Neither promotion established that one system was universally more accurate or better for every task.
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