Google Search is getting a major Gemini 2.5 upgrade to its ‘Live’ conversational mode

If you have tapped the little “Live” sparkle icon in the Google app recently, you know it’s a handy way to have a back-and-forth voice conversation to get answers. But as good as it has been, it can still sometimes feel a tad bit robotic.

As is the case with most things AI-related, that is now changing. Google has announced that Search Live is getting a massive upgrade, making conversations “more fluid and expressive than ever before”.

Powered by the new Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio

While the main announcement keeps it simple, a deeper look at the tech reveals exactly why this is a big deal. This update is powered by the new Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio model.

Unlike older models that might have felt like they were just reading text aloud, this new “native audio” model is designed specifically for speech. This means a few key improvements for your Search experience:

• It sounds more human: The model can capture the nuance of human speech, preserving intonation, pacing, and pitch.
• It’s smarter at finding info: Thanks to improved “function calling,” the AI is better at identifying when to fetch real-time information (like a weather report or a recipe) and weaving that data naturally back into your conversation without breaking the flow.
• It remembers context: We’ve all had those frustrating moments where an assistant forgets what you said ten seconds ago. This update brings “significant gains” in multi-turn conversation quality, meaning it retrieves context from previous parts of your chat much more effectively.

What this feels like in practice

For us users, this means Google Search can now respond with a more natural-sounding voice or adjust its speed based on what you need.

Google gives the example of asking for DIY help or learning about a new topic like geology. Because the model is better at following complex instructions, you can have a genuine brainstorming session or get step-by-step guidance that feels like talking to a helpful expert rather than a search engine.

Rolling out now

The update is rolling out over the next week to all Search Live users in the U.S.. To try it out, just open the Google app on Android or iOS, tap the Live icon under the search bar, and start talking.

And as a fun side note, this same Gemini 2.5 Native Audio model is also powering a cool new “Live Speech Translation” feature in the Google Translate app that lets you use headphones for real-time, two-way translation. Keep an eye out for that, too!