Google has admitted to test a new Googlebot-Mobile type specific to iPhone.

One Webmaster saw the special Googlebot-Mobile show up in his log files and posted a thread about it at Google Webmaster Help. He said:

JohnMu from Google confirmed that this can very well be a real Googlebot. John said:

But as we mentioned yesterday in our Google on Mobile SEO, don’t treat Googlebot-Mobile special when it comes to iPhone templates. John explained:

So technically, if you are serving up a special iPhone template based on an iPhone useragent, this Googlebot should get the same template.

This may be signs of new things to come, where Google can detect not just old traditional mobile web pages but also smartphone specific templates. Might come in handy in the future.

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.