By Akriti Rana and Nimish Dubey
Google made a number of announcements at its recently concluded I/O developer conference (including giving us an even closer look at Android 16 and unveiling a number of AI tools), but the one announcement that made everyone’s ears really perk up was about Google’s AI service, Gemini Live. Google introduced Gemini Live back in August 2024, allowing users to have almost natural conversations with the Gemini assistant, instead of just sticking to the predictable question and answer format. It was a revolutionary move as it made AI so much more accessible and easier to use, but it was also rather expensive – Gemini Live was available only to subscribers of Gemini Advanced, which came at USD 19.99 per month (about Rs 1700 per month). Well, at I/O this year, Google literally took the price tag off Gemini Live, added camera and screen sharing, and made it totally free for all Android and iOS users.
So what is so special about Gemini Live (and how is it different from basic Gemini?)
As Gemini Live has been largely restricted to those with Gemini Advanced subscriptions (and some Pixel phone users), not too many have used it. Consequently, there is some confusion about what the service actually is, and how it is different from the regular Gemini AI assistant that one finds on most Android phones, and which iPhone users can get by downloading Gemini from the App Store. After all, one can simply open Gemini and ask it a question, or take a picture and ask Gemini about it, so what is so different about Gemini Live?
Well, as its name indicates, there is a ‘Live’ element to it. As we said earlier, in Gemini Live, you have a conversation with Gemini, rather than just ask questions and wait for replies – you can even interrupt Gemini Live while speaking and it will pause. With the addition of camera and screen sharing, you literally start sharing your screen and camera (depending on your choice), and can carry on a conversation with Gemini Live about what you are sharing. It is almost like talking to a person. It is very life-like and extremely useful for those moments when you need information about something and do not have the time or inclination to describe it. It is literally like showing something to a person and discussing it.
How can one use Gemini Live?
Almost all iOS and Android devices that have been released over the past 2-3 years or so can use Gemini Live. All you need to do is download Google Gemini on your Android or iOS device. It comes preinstalled on many Android phones or is available as a free download from Google Play, while it can be downloaded to iPhones or iPads from the App Store. If you already have Gemini on your device, do check if it has been updated to the latest version, as this generally comes with the most stable performance and features.
Using Gemini Live is simple. You just launch Gemini (on Android, this often happens when you long press the power/display button), and then choose the icon to the right of the microphone on the bottom right corner. That’s it, you are in Gemini Live and can now talk to Gemini as if it were literally with you. You can either start speaking to it directly, or share your display or open the camera and let Gemini Live see things through it and then discuss them. As we said earlier, it is like having an AI companion right alongside you.
Discussing, Analysing, Asking…the crazy power of Gemini Live!
The real power of Gemini Live is its ‘live’ element, which makes it perfect for those moments when you do not have the patience to type out or upload information. It is at its best when you need information in a hurry about something that is right in front of you. And with the addition of camera and screen sharing adds a whole new visual dimension to the experience. Here are just some of the things you can do in the newly free Gemini Live land:
Identification – who/what is this and what can we do here?
This is classic Gemini Live territory. If you see something that you need to identify and do not have the patience to type out a description or photograph and send to Gemini, just launch Gemini Live, open the camera, and bluntly ask what it is that you are seeing. Gemini Live is very sharp in identifying locations, monuments, plants and animals and well, if you point it at the picture of a reasonably famous person, it will identify it as well – it spotted Russel Crowe in Gladiator! It can also tell you more about specific shops and restaurants. When we pointed it at the door of Big Chill Restaurant in Delhi’s Khan Market, we were informed that it was a restaurant known for its pizza, pasta and desserts! It even identified Khan Market itself, adding that it was an “expensive” market. And yes, it can identify and translate road signs and notices too!
How-to situations: Ask for solutions
Gemini Live can actually provide basic solutions to problems in everyday life. Worried about a messy desk? Just switch on the camera in Gemini Live and ask it how to clean it up. You can even get basic medical and first aid advice. For instance, Gemini Live recommended to us a particular antiseptic powder for a dog which had a wound near its ear. You can even point the camera at a damaged shoe sole and ask Gemini Live for advice on how to repair it. And of course, you can point Gemini Live at a bunch of vegetables or food materials and ask it what you can cook using them.You will get a detailed reply in most cases, and as you are in a discussion, you can even ask Gemini Live to spell out what to do step by step. In most cases it will.
Make a choice for you or get options
Wondering which shirt to go for? Torn between three films at the PVR? Or simply trying to figure out the menu at a rather exotic restaurant? Just point Gemini Live at the choices at your disposal and it can recommend options that work best for you. And it will not do so randomly but will actually talk it out with you logically. For instance, when we asked for advice on whether to watch an IPL match or the final round of EPL matches, it asked us if we liked football more or cricket, how much time we would like to spend watching the sport and so on. Similarly, when asked to choose between two shirts, Gemini Live asked us the occasion we wished to wear them on, and which texture we were more comfortable with.
Analyse, understand and discuss
This is one of the most powerful tools on Gemini Live. You can point Gemini Live at a newspaper article, a book, or even open a document or article on Gemini Live on your phone and then analyse and discuss it threadbare. You can ask for summaries, translations, debate key points, get advice on further reading (Gemini asked us to read Financial Express if we liked the Indian Express!) and much more. We have taken to using it on books and Gemini Live has been rather sound – although very carefully neutral – in its advice. In some cases, it even suggested improvements to documents.
Just chatter!
This might sound trivial, but Gemini Live can be a very good companion for those times when you just need to talk to someone, and there is either no one around or you do not have the patience to seek out human company. We have spoken to Gemini Live about the forthcoming India-England Test series, the weather, the impact of tariffs on iPhone prices, the prices at Starbucks and once even about feeling a little low. No, it is not a substitute for human company, but it is remarkably easy to talk to and can sometimes be a lifesaver, not least because you can stop it whenever you want (note to the Lord: add a ‘pause’ button to Homo Sapiens some time!)
This is just the tip of the Gemini Live iceberg. You can do a whole lot more with it, and Google is looking to make it even more powerful, adding information and support for more languages (more than forty are supported right now), and also integrating other Google applications with it, so you could actually point it at a road and ask where it leads! Similarly, you could discuss catching up with friends and have Gemini Live not only suggest a venue, but also save a time and venue for it in the Google calendar app.
Mind you, while it is awesome (and free!), like all AI tools, Gemini Live is not always a hundred per cent right. We would advise treating it like a friend who can help you out, with whom you can discuss things and whose opinion you can seek on many matters. Just as in the real world, do not blindly believe everything you are told , and double check whenever you feel a hint of doubt. Just like real friends, Gemini Live is not infallible. And just like them, it can be a massive help too.
(Note: all the features and options mentioned in story might not be available on all devices at the time of writing)
