One of the most practical applications of generative AI is enhancing voice assistants, which have remained relatively unchanged for years — and have notoriously not been the best at communicating. With Gemini Live, you can finally have human-like conversations with AI.
Also: I downloaded Google's Gemini app on the iPhone for free – and it nearly replaces Siri for me
In May, Google unveiled Gemini Live, a conversational AI-powered assistant that can be interrupted, have multi-turn conversations, and revisit conversations later. Initially, Gemini Live was only available to Gemini Advanced users, requiring a $20 monthly membership to access. Then, it was made available for free, but only to Android users. Now, free iOS users have been looped in, too.
Getting started is easy, and having a conversation with Gemini, even if just once, is worth a try. It supports many languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, ensuring that certain people can have a worthwhile experience.
Keep reading below to learn how and what to use it for.
How to access Gemini Live on Android
Downloading the Gemini app from the Google Play Store is free and easy.
Also: How to use Gemini Live on Android as your AI voice assistant – for free
Once downloaded, to access Gemini Live, make sure your Gemini app is updated and then open it like you regularly would. If you see the waveform icon at the bottom left of your app screen, pictured below, you have Gemini Live access. Once you click on it, you will see a walkthrough of how to use the feature. If you don't see it, try updating your Gemini app.
The fact that Gemini Live is free is particularly noteworthy because ChatGPT's equivalent feature, the new Voice Mode, is currently only available to paid subscribers, including ChatGPT Plus users, who pay a $20 monthly subscription.
Eventually, both Gemini Live and OpenAI's Voice Mode will be able to use the phone's camera to give the voice assistant context of the user's surroundings to inform responses. However, neither company has given a clear date for when the visual component of the feature will launch.
How to access Gemini Live on iOS
As of November 14, iPhone users can also access Gemini Live via a new Gemini app for iOS users. The app is also free and can be accessed in the App Store. Hours after launching, the app already ranked #17 in the Productivity category in the App Store. Once you download the app, you will be prompted to sign into your Google account, and once you do, you are set to start chatting.
Also: I've tested a lot of AI tools for work. These 4 actually help me get more done every day
The UI is similar to that of the Android app, with a textbook, voice, and image input option and the waveform icon on the right that you can use to activate Gemini Live. When you click on it the first time, you will get a quick intro from Gemini telling you how it can assist, a quick text overview on what it is, how to use it, and privacy options for your chats.
Then, you have to give it access to your microphone by clicking on the shortcut or going manually into savings. Then, you can personalize Gemini Live to have the voice you want. Then, when you click start, you can start talking about anything!
What to use Gemini Live for
So what can you even use Gemini Live for? Gemini Live is useful in any scenario where you typically use a standard voice assistant but with the added bonus of better understanding your question, providing human-like answers, and better supporting your curiosity by answering follow-ups without losing the context of the conversation.
Also: Google's new AI tool could be your new favorite learning aid – and it's free
It can also do things that a regular voice assistant cannot do, such as having more abstract conversations with you about feelings, life, and ideas and even giving advice. It may sound silly, but once you speak to it, you will understand why people use it for those tasks, as it actually mimics human conversation.
Alternatives
In addition to ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode, which costs $20 a month through the ChatGPT Plus subscription, both Android and iOS users can also use Copilot Voice, Microsoft's take on an AI-powered voice assistant available to all users for free. The conversational capabilities are just as impressive and accessible within the Copilot app on iOS and Android now.