The recent Made by Google event was different from previous Pixel events, mainly because the spotlight was mostly on AI. Part of the new suite of AI features is Gemini Live, an upscale version of Gemini, capable of handling free-flowing conversations better than the standard AI chatbot. Just a couple of days after the announcement, Gemini Live has started making its way to a wider list of Galaxy and Pixel smartphones.
Gemini Live is different and more advanced than Gemini in many ways. In addition to offering new, more human-like voices and conversation transcripts, it can also understand complex prompts, read and analyze what’s on your screen, interact deeply with your apps (Gmail, YouTube, Keep, etc.) through Gemini Extensions, and more.
How can you access Gemini Live
Unlike the free version of Gemini that is widely replacing Google Assistant on supported Android devices, Gemini Live is available as part of the paid Gemini Advanced subscription. Moreover, it currently supports the English language on select Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel smartphones.
If you’re a Gemini Advanced user and the update is live on your device, you can access Gemini Live by launching Gemini as an assistant or through the app itself. It also supports hands-free operation, so you can trigger it even if your device is locked or while running a different app in the foreground.
The Gemini Live icon appears as a waveform with a glittering star at the bottom of the screen. You can start engaging with it like you’re talking to a human or as you would with other AI assistants. You can end the conversation by saying “stop” or swiping down from the top of the screen.
As a multimodal AI, you can also use photos or your current screen to ask for context or answers. However, this capability will be rolled out later along with Gemini Extensions for apps, including summarizing or composing emails in Gmail and managing your reminders and calendars, among others.
There are also options to change Gemini Live’s voice from the settings, which include voices with soft to hard ranges and space-themed voices. Moreover, there are toggles for Interrupt Live responses and Gemini Advanced responses.
Depending on your region, Gemini Live is part of the Google One AI Premium plan. In the US, this costs $19.99 per month with 2TB of cloud storage and premium access to other Google services.
With these features of Gemini Live, do you think it is worth paying for it? Are you perhaps using a different AI chatbot on your device? Share your suggestions with us.
