Want an AI voice assistant that can naturally converse with you in 6 different languages - for free? If you're on Android, you're in luck.
In September, Google announced that all English-speaking Gemini mobile app users on Android would get access to Gemini Live, allowing them to have free-flowing conversations with the assistant whenever they'd like. By the end of the month, the Gemini Live rollout was complete, and it's currently available for free on all Android phones.
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Google first unveiled Gemini Live, a conversational AI-powered assistant that can be interrupted, have multi-turn conversations, and revisit conversations later, in May. Since its launch, Gemini Live was only available to Gemini Advanced users, requiring a $20 monthly membership to access. Now, free users have been looped in, too.
On September 30, Google announced that Live is now available for all Gemini users in English on the Android app, meaning users will no longer need to subscribe to the Gemini One AI Premium plan to access it, and downloading the Gemini 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 particularly noteworthy because ChatGPT's equivalent feature, the new Voice Mode, is currently only rolling out 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.
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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.
Google has also updated Gemini Live to support more languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Hindi. To change the language you talk to Gemini in, click Settings > Google Assistant > Languages.
So what can you even use Gemini Live for? Gemini Live is useful in any scenario where you typically use a standard voice assistant with the added bonus of it better understanding your question, providing human-like answers, and better supporting your curiosity by answering follow-ups without losing the context of the conversation.
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It can also do things that a regular voice assistant could not, 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.
If you are an Apple user experiencing a bit of FOMO, no worries. In May, Apple also unveiled Apple Intelligence, its collection of AI features that will be infused 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 is coming later this month. However, only users with the A17 chip and higher, found in the iPhone 15 Pro and all succeeding models, can experience Apple Intelligence in its entirety. Some of the new Apple Intelligence features are expected to roll out in late October, with others will follow at a later date, possibly early next year.
Apple 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.
