Gemini Live is the more conversational, natural language way of interacting with the Google Gemini AI bot using your voice. The idea is you chat with it like you would chat with a friend, interruptions and all, even if the actual answers are the same as you'd get from typing your queries into Gemini as normal.

Now, about a year and a half after its debut, Gemini Live has been given what Google is describing as its “biggest update ever.” The update makes the Gemini Live mode even more natural and even more conversational than before, with a better understanding of tone, nuance, pronunciation, and rhythm.

There's no real visible indication that anything has changed, and often a lot of the responses will seem the same as before too. However, there are certain areas where you can tell the difference that the latest upgrade has made—and so here's how to make the most of the new and improved Gemini Live.

The update is rolling out now for Gemini on Android and iOS. To access Gemini Live, launch the Gemini app, then tap the Live button in the lower right hand corner (it looks vaguely like a sound wave) and start talking.

The Gemini Live interface.David Nield

Hear Some Stories

Gemini Live can now add more feeling and variation to its storytelling capabilities—which can be useful for history lessons, bedtimes for the children, and creative brainstorming. The AI will even add in different accents and tones where appropriate, to help you distinguish between the characters and scenes.

One of Google's own examples for how this works best is to get Gemini Live to tell you the story of the Roman Empire from the perspective of Julius Caesar. It's a challenge for Gemini that requires some leaps in perspective and imagination, and to use tone and style appropriately in a way that Gemini Live should now be better at.

You don't have to restrict yourself to Julius Caesar or the Roman Empire either. You could get Gemini Live to give you a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of each different Bennett sister, for example, or have the AI spin up a tale of what life would have been like in your part of the world 100, 200, or 300 years ago.

Learn Some Skills

Another area where Gemini Live's new capabilities make a noticeable difference is in educating and explaining: You can get it to give you a crash course (or a longer tutorial) on any topic of your choosing, anything from the intricacies of human genetics to the best ways to clean a carpet. You can even get Gemini Live to teach you a language.

The AI can now go at a pace to suit you, which is particularly useful when you're trying to learn something new. If you need Gemini Live to slow down, speed up, or repeat something, then just say so. If you've only got a certain amount of time spare, let Gemini know when you're chatting to it.

As usual, be wary of AI hallucinations, and maybe don't trust that everything you hear is fully accurate or verified. If you're wanting to learn something like how to rewire the lighting in your home or fix a problematic car engine, double-check the guidance you're getting with other sources, but Gemini Live is at least a useful starting point.

Test Some Accents

One of the new skills that Gemini Live has with this latest update is the ability to speak in different accents. Perhaps you want the history of the Wild West spoken by a cowboy, or you need the intricacies of the British Royal Family explained by someone with an authentic London accent. Gemini Live can now handle these requests.

This extends to the language learning mentioned above, because you can hear words and phrases spoken as they would be by native speakers—and then try to copy the pronunciation and phrasing. While Gemini Live doesn't cover every language and accent across the globe, it can access plenty of them.

There are certain safeguards built into Gemini Live here, and your requests might get refused if you veer too close to derogatory uses of accents and speech, or if you're trying to impersonate real people. However, it's another fun way to test out the AI, and to get responses that are more varied and personalized.