Google Gemini Voice Chat Mode Is Here

Google is launching a new voice chat mode for Gemini called Gemini Live, the company announced at its Pixel 9 event today. Available to Gemini Advanced subscribers, it works much like ChatGPT’s voice chat feature, with multiple voices to choose from and the ability to speak conversationally, to the point of interrupting without touching a button.

Google says conversations with Gemini Live can be “free-flowing,” so you can do things like stop a reply mid-sentence or pause the conversation and come back to it later. Gemini Live will also work in the background or when your phone is locked. Google first announced that Gemini Live would take place during its I/O developer conference earlier this year, where it also said that Gemini Live would be capable of interpreting video in real time.

Google also has 10 new Gemini voices for users to choose from. The feature began rolling out today, only in English, for Android devices. The company says it will come to iOS and have more languages ​​“in the coming weeks.”

In addition to Gemini Live, Google announced other features for its AI assistant, including new extensions that will be released later, for apps like Keep, Tasks, Utilities and YouTube Music. Gemini is also gaining awareness of the context of your screen, similar to the AI ​​capabilities Apple announced at WWDC this year. After users tap “Ask about this screen” or “Ask about this video,” Google says Gemini can provide information, including extracting details like destinations from travel videos to add to Google Maps.