How to try Google's new Gemini Live AI assistant for free
The current generation of mobile voice assistants — with our simple requests often requiring multiple attempts to be understood — surely leaves room for improvement. If you’re ready for an upgraded experience, voice assistants supported by generative AI may be the solution, and there are some you can try today.
On Tuesday at Made by Google, Google finally released Gemini Live, its advanced mobile conversational experience that enables users to have free-flowing conversations with an AI assistant, or — as Google describes it — “a sidekick in your pocket.”
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The Live experience is supposed to mimic a conversation with a human. As a result, it can be interrupted, carry on multi-turn conversations, and even resume a prior conversation.
Users also can continue talking to it in the background or while their phone is locked, much as an ordinary phone call with a friend or relative. There are 10 voices users can pick from, all resembling human voices with different intonations, sounds, and more. You can listen to the video below:
We’re introducing Gemini Live, a more natural way to interact with Gemini. You can now have a free-flowing conversation, and even interrupt or change topics just like you might on a regular phone call. Available to Gemini Advanced subscribers. #MadeByGoogle pic.twitter.com/eNjlNKubsv
— Google (@Google) August 13, 2024
Sound too good to be true? If you want to try it out for yourself, you can — for free!
How to access
Gemini Live is rolling out to Android users subscribed to Gemini Advanced, which is offered as part of the Google One AI Premium Plan that costs $20 monthly. If you are an iPhone user, no worries, Google says Gemini Live will expand to iOS in the coming weeks.
The $20 per month cost — which is on par with other premium AI plans like ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro — includes other perks besides Gemini Advanced, such as Gemini in Gmail and Docs, 2 TB of storage, and unlimited Magic Editor in Google Photos. Still, if you want to try it before committing to buy it, there are two ways you can do so for free.
The first (and easiest) way to try Gemini Live for free is a one-month free trial of the Google One AI Premium Plan.
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To get started, visit the Google One AI Premium Plan webpage, click “Try it for one month,” and sign in.
You will be asked to enter payment information because — once the trial ends — you start getting charged. To avoid paying, I suggest setting a reminder on your phone to end the subscription before the trial ends.
If you are invested in Google’s AI offerings and want to have the full experience, a second option is to purchase the newly released Pixel Pro 9, which includes access to Gemini Advanced at no additional cost for the first year, a $240 value.
OpenAI offers a similar experience with its new and improved Voice Mode. However, this is rolling out in alpha to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users. Therefore, if you want a guaranteed way to access this experience, the Google One AI Premium Plan is likely your best bet — at least for now.
