Gemini Live is finally rolling out to free users in the wild

by · Android Police

Key Takeaways

  • Gemini Live is showing up on more free users' Android phones, allowing more people to engage in conversational interactions with the AI.
  • Gemini Live is more human-like, allowing interruptions, topic switches, and spoken responses, making it easier to interact with AI compared to competitors.
  • Some limitations include only being available in American English and on Android devices, with voice customization being tricky but possible with workarounds.

Move over ChatGPT 4o. Google's Gemini Live has started arriving on free users' phones, making the chatty AI accessible to more people. It began as a premium feature, but now it seems anyone with an Android phone can engage in free-flowing conversations with Gemini.

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Android Police contributor Mishaal Rahman spotted the free feature on his Xiaomi 14T Pro, and prolific leaker CID confirmed they also had it, but could not change the AI's voice. This follows Google's announcement from earlier this month that confirmed the feature would begin rolling out to free users, although Google didn't give a date for the rollout at the time.

What is Google's Gemini Live chat bot?

Gemini Live is different from regular Gemini. It is a free-flowing, conversational way to interact with Google's AI by talking, rather than typing. Users can interrupt, switch topics mid-conversation, and receive spoken responses seamlessly, giving the AI a very human-like feel.

This is Google's response to OpenAI's ChatGPT 4o, which can chat with users in a voice eerily similar to Scarlett Johanssen's voice. But more than outdoing its competitor in one area, Gemini Live is a much easier way to interact with AI. It can be used for brainstorming, discussing topics, conducting research, and eventually, setting appointments and finding directions.

There are some limitations to this early version of Gemini Live. For starters, it can only be used in American English, and only on Android devices. It also seems the voice is difficult to change, although CID found a workaround by changing Gemini's language to American English, and then it will let you change the voice.

Like with all things Google, this is a gradual rollout. Not all regions will have access to it right away. But it's clearly a big step for Google in bringing AI to the masses.