The new Google Gemini app arrived on Android phones in the US last week, with support for more regions in the pipeline – and it looks like Google plans to bring the AI helper to Assistant-optimized headphones soon too.
Some digging into the latest beta version of the Google app 9to5Google has revealed a line of code that says “The Gemini mobile app is working on expanding its availability to make it accessible on your headphones.”
Even if you have the new Gemini app plus headphones optimized for Google Assistant (for example, the Google Pixel Buds Pro or Sony WF-1000XM5), you’ll still get voice assistance from Google’s older Assistant, not the improved Gemini.
But it looks like Google will soon bring more powerful AI-generated responses to compatible headphones with this upcoming support for Gemini. This would be both a major problem and potentially a usability minefield, given Gemini’s early teething problems and the potential for longer answers.
Like Bard, Gemini allows you to talk at length about open-ended topics (which can still include hallucinations), and that means some answers are several paragraphs long. How this experience translates to audio remains to be seen, but it’s possible the responses will be tailor-made for headphones.
For example, the ChatGPT app gives shorter responses if you talk to it via voice instead of text, as this speeds up the experience and improves conversation flow. Still, exactly when we experience Gemini in our headphones may depend on how quickly Google can fix the current bugs and limitations of its AI helper.
Is Gemini ready yet?
At this point, we still recommend using Google Assistant instead of Gemini for voice interactions on your Android phone, as Google’s new helper isn’t quite ready for prime time yet.
Google has now fixed the deal-breaking Gemini issue that required you to tap a “send” arrow after every voice command if you were using it instead of Assistant. But a list of solutions remains, with a Gemini team member Jack Krawczyk on X (formerly Twitter) reveal what Google is still working on.
These include giving Gemini the ability to interact with the Calendar app and reminders, plus other issues like “preachy guardrails” and simple refusals to answer certain questions.
These restrictions will likely remain Google’s priority for now, in addition to rolling out the Gemini Android app to other regions such as the United Kingdom and Europe, which Krawczyk says is happening “ASAP.”
Still, we’d like to experience talking to Gemini directly through our headphones and will let you know as soon as the feature becomes officially available.