Gmail Live arrives for selected Android and iOS users

Announced in May, Gmail Live is now reaching a selection of Android and iOS users. The new feature uses a conversational assistant to retrieve information directly from Gmail, rather than relying on a conventional search.

Since starting working life, my morning ritual has been to make a coffee and check my inbox for important messages. That routine may soon become unnecessary. Once an AI can access an inbox, it can read messages on my behalf, sort them, or locate a particular detail. Google intends to go further with Gmail Live in Gmail: essentially, it is a voice-based conversational interface that lets you talk through the management of your emails.

Gmail Live arrives on Android and iOS

Gmail Live was among the features Google unveiled in May. According to our colleagues at 9to5Google, it is now being tested with certain users of the Gmail app on Android and iOS. Where the feature is enabled, a new Gmail Live icon appears in the app's search bar. Tapping it opens a conversational interface resembling that of the Gemini Live voice assistant.

Like Gemini Live, Gmail Live supports highly fluid exchanges with the AI. Its distinguishing feature is its focus on email management. It can retrieve details from emails without requiring users to scroll through messages or perform a standard search. For instance, users can ask the AI whether a parcel has arrived, remind them of an important detail about a flight, or summarise the information sent by their children's school during the week. “Gmail Live will search your inbox to find the answer instantly,” Google explains.

Gmail Live will require a paid subscription

Gmail Live could save users a considerable amount of time. Unfortunately, the feature will not be free. Google has already said that, when it officially launches this summer, the new interface will be limited to Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscribers. As well as Gmail Live, those subscribers will gain access to similar new features in Google Docs and Google Keep.

Docs Live and Keep Live

In Google Docs, the “Docs Live” feature will work as a conversational assistant or virtual colleague while a document is being written. “All you have to do is speak: Docs Live takes care of the heavy lifting - organising your ideas, structuring your document and, with your permission, pulling relevant information from your Gmail, Drive, Chat and Web account. Whether you're letting your stream of consciousness flow or thinking through an idea, Docs Live helps you sketch an outline, refine your tone and create seamlessly,” Google explained in May.

Keep Live, meanwhile, works in a similar way to make note-taking easier. In essence, rather than using traditional dictation or typing on a keyboard, users will be able to have a natural conversation with the AI to create or edit a note.