Last week, Google shared via X post that all Gemini Mobile App English-speaking Android users will get access to Gemini Live, allowing them to chat freely with the assistant whenever they want. This week, Gemini Live started working for free on some Android phones.
In May, Google announced Gemini Livea conversational AI assistant that can interrupt, have multiple conversations, and review conversations later. As of launch, Gemini Live is only available to Gemini Advanced users, requiring a $20 monthly membership to access; however, free users have also been able to connect.
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The new update makes Gemini Live completely free for Android users, as they no longer need to subscribe to the Gemini One AI Premium plan to access it, and downloading the app from the Google Play Store is free. There is no Gemini app for iOS, so those users will not be able to participate in the experience.
This is especially notable because of ChatGPT’s equivalent feature, the new Voice Mode, currently being deployed in alpha for a small group ChatGPT Plus Usersadd more users on an ongoing basis. ChatGPT Plus is also a $20 monthly subscription, and even if you pay, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be one of the users with access to Voice Mode anytime soon.
Finally, both Gemini Live and OpenAI’s Voice Mode can use a phone’s camera to give voice assistants context about a user’s surroundings to provide responses. However, neither company has given a specific date for when the visual component of the feature will launch.
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To see if you have access to Gemini Live, make sure your Gemini app is up to date and then open the app as usual. If you see a waveform icon in the bottom left corner of the app screen, that means you have access to Gemini Live. When you click on that icon, you will be taken to a tutorial on how to use the feature.
If you’re an Apple user experiencing a little FOMO, don’t worry. In May, Apple announced Apple IntelligenceA collection of AI features will be integrated into the Apple device experience, and one of the new features is a smarter Siri.
Apple Intelligence will be part of iOS 18.1, which launches in October. However, only users with A17 chip or later, equipped on iPhone 15 Pro and all successor modelscan experience the full range of Apple Intelligence. Some new Apple Intelligence features will be available in October, with others coming later.
