Google plans to launch video- and screen-sharing capabilities for Gemini Live by the end of the month as part of the Gemini app on Android, according to discussions coming out of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. Previewed a year ago as Project Astra, the new functionality will allow Gemini Live to accept a video stream captured in real time by the phone’s camera and answer questions about the feed in a conversational way, based on voice input, screen-sharing live videos with Gemini on mobile as Gemini 2.0 currently offers desktop users.

Google says this Android update to Gemini 2.0 will make the AI “a true assistant,” suggesting “you could use Gemini Live’s video chops to have an informative conversation with the robot while you explore new places or get help with piecing together an outfit by sharing your screen while online shopping,” Ars Technica writes, qualifying that by saying it’s unclear whether the new features will live up to those claims, but “Google is talking a big game.”

Those who subscribe to Gemini Advanced will soon find out, as the $20 monthly Google AI One Premium plan is required for the new video functions. A Google YouTube demo showcases the new Google Live video features, also explained in a Google Keyword blog post about software updates for Pixel 6 and above phones.

Tom’s Guide says the Gemini’s new live video interactivity is “similar to a video call experience,” explaining that while watching a video, users can activate Gemini to, for instance, “inquire about a specific muscle or fitness technique during an exercise tutorial.”

There’s also a feature for asking questions about a PDF being viewed, obtaining “summaries or clarifications, streamlining the research process without moving to a desktop,” according to Tom’s.

Google began releasing Gemini Live for desktop in August 2024, announcing it would be coming to mobile. The move was seen as a challenge to ChatGPT’s Voice and Vision feature for Android and iOS, also unveiled in August.

Ars Technica points out that “despite Google’s enormous mobile footprint, its monthly Gemini usage numbers are only in the tens of millions, which is an order of magnitude lower than OpenAI’s tools,” adding that the Gemini Live update will probably be a loss leader for Google, potentially drawing more users to Gemini.

“No company has cracked the code on making money from generative AI just yet,” even though Big Tech continues pouring money into it, Ars Technica explains.

Related:
Google Makes Gemini Code Assist Free with 180,000 Code Completions per Month as AI-Powered Dev Race Heats Up, VentureBeat, 2/25/25
Google Launches a Free AI Coding Assistant with Very High Usage Caps, TechCrunch, 2/25/25
Google’s Latest Pixel Feature Drop Will Let Pixel Studio Generate Images of People, Gizmodo, 3/4/25