Joe Maring / Digital Trends
Gemini Live, one of Google Gemini’s more exciting features, will soon be available to Android users for free. The Google Gemini team announced the important news on X. The tool was previously only available through a Gemini Advanced subscription.
Gemini Live provides access to a Gemini AI chatbot, allowing you to have natural, free-flowing conversations with the AI using your voice instead of typing. Think of Gemini Live as your new digital best friend on your mobile device. It is capable of answering questions, assisting with homework, helping you plan trips abroad, and much more.
Gemini Live was previously only accessible with a Gemini Advanced subscription, which costs$20 monthly after a one-month free trial. This subscription grants access to Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 1.5 Pro, offering significantly more advanced intelligence than Gemini’s free version. This includes access to larger volumes of information, improved reasoning abilities, and higher-quality text, images, and other creative content for user prompts.
In addition, a Gemini Advanced subscription provides Gemini support for Google products like Gmail and Docs, offers Python code for developers, and grants priority access to new features.
Furthermore, Gemini Advanced unlocks 2TB of advanced storage through Google One. This storage works with Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos, and it is utilized for device backup, similar to other Google One plans.
According to the announcement, the Gemini Live freebie is only available in English and only for Android users using the Gemini app. Apple users, who can only access Gemini Live through the iOS Google app, are not getting the freebie, at least for now.
This is massive news for anyone who wants to try Gemini Live, but doesn’t want to pay the admission price. Hopefully, the free option will eventually roll out in a new language and, of course, to all mobile users, not just those using Android.
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
The Pixel 9’s top camera feature makes me very uncomfortable
I don’t think I will ever use Google’s Add Me photo mode in real life. I can say this with a degree of certainty as I have yet to find a situation where I’ve needed or wanted to use Google’s Best Take, the last AI camera feature Google introduced designed for group shots of people.
The reasons are both practical and personal. The fact that I’m thinking so deeply about these AI features and my own life makes me uncomfortable — and shows there’s a serious problem with how Google is advertising the Google Pixel 9’s cameras.
It’s not the technology
Google’s giving you a very good reason not to buy a Pixel 9
If you’re trying hard to decide between buying the Google Pixel 9 or any of the Pixel 9 Pro models, there’s one detail that may push you into making a final decision. You may have heard during the launch event or seen afterwards that Google will give you a free year’s access to its Gemini Advanced AI services, valued at $20 per month, when you buy a new Pixel, but it’s important to know this good value benefit only comes with the Pro models and not if you buy the standard Pixel 9.
Google talked a lot about Gemini Advanced and Gemini Live — where you can have conversational chats with Gemini — during the Made by Google launch event, and it may have piqued your interest, particularly when you heard the service was a free gift with some purchases. However, it was easy to miss the fine details about which phones it comes with, especially when you may assume it comes with all the phones as they have the same processor and general ability.
These 4 features might make me ditch my Apple Watch for the Google Pixel Watch 3
As a regular Apple Watch wearer, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the Google Pixel Watch 2 last year. The hardware was nice, Fitbit’s health tracking suite was solid, and even the battery life was good. However, it was never enough to keep me away from the Apple Watch — my personal smartwatch of choice — for more than a few weeks.
With the new Google Pixel Watch 3, however, there’s a new temptation that I didn’t feel before with its predecessor. I won’t know for sure if it’ll fully replace my Apple Watch until I spend more time with it, but based on what I’ve seen so far, there are a few new features that may ultimately push me over the edge.
More thorough running data
