Gemini Live reaches more devices, brings 10 voice options and live interruptions

Gemini Live has started rolling out to more users, with reports coming in from various regions and devices. I even received it on my old Pixel XL2 running Android 11, which was a bit surprising. The feature appears as a pop-up with a new toggle. Once you tap on it, a new interface opens, prompting you to select a voice. There are 10 different voice options available, and you can change this later in the settings.

After choosing a voice, you need to agree to the terms and conditions, and then the voice interface becomes accessible. It functions similarly to ChatGPT's standard voice mode, but with a few differences. For example, Gemini allows you to interrupt responses, which is part of its advanced mode—a unique feature. You can also interrupt using a button, and while the response time isn't always immediate, the feature is generally effective.

Although Gemini cannot change its voice or generate sounds, it does support multiple languages. I tested it in Russian, and the results were excellent. It has access to information through the Google search index, which can be helpful for listening to recent news highlights from the current week. However, it can't fetch the latest updates from specific URLs or websites since it relies on Google's index, which can be somewhat outdated.

At this stage, Gemini does not support extensions, although this functionality is planned for a future release. Interestingly, while it promotes its capabilities, it still can't handle tasks like setting an alarm. Additionally, Google has mentioned that the video capability, expected to be powered by Astra (a new model not yet available), will be arriving in a few months. So, we'll have to wait and see.

In the settings, you can change the voice and enable or disable live interruptions. For now, this feature isn't available to everyone, but it seems there are no specific restrictions beyond regions where Gemini is generally accessible. Most users should see this feature roll out within the next two weeks. If you haven't received it yet, you can try opting into the Google beta app from the Play Store, or force-stopping the Gemini app and clearing its cache, which might help enable the feature sooner. It's also expected that Gemini Live will arrive on iOS soon.