Google is pushing forward with a new wave of Gemini-powered updates, adding more versatility to its AI products and broadening access to its Search and research tools.
The company on Monday rolled out three key improvements: audio file compatibility for the Gemini app, five new languages for Search’s AI Mode, and expanded report formats for NotebookLM.
Josh Woodward, vice president of Google Labs and Gemini, announced the changes in a post on X, highlighting that audio uploads were the “#1 request” from users of the Gemini app.
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Audio comes to Gemini
The addition marks a significant step for the app. Free users will be able to upload audio up to 10 minutes in length and are capped at five prompts each day. Those subscribed to AI Pro or AI Ultra plans can upload audio recordings up to three hours. Gemini now accepts up to 10 files per prompt across multiple formats, including compressed ZIP folders.
NotebookLM, Google’s research-oriented tool, already supported audio, but the Gemini app’s adoption widens its reach to users who want transcription, analysis, or conversation with audio content on the go.
Search expands with new languages
Google Search’s AI Mode is also extending its reach globally. With the integration of Gemini 2.5, the service now supports Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Brazilian Portuguese.
A company blog post described the move as a major step toward inclusivity: “With this expansion, more people can now use AI Mode to ask complex questions in their preferred language, while exploring the web more deeply.”
The update signals Google’s intent to make Search’s AI features more accessible outside English-speaking markets, a push likely aimed at strengthening its footprint in Asia and Latin America, where rival platforms have been growing.
NotebookLM becomes a content generator
Meanwhile, NotebookLM is moving from a research companion into a content generator. The tool can now create structured reports in a variety of styles—study guides, briefing documents, blog posts, flashcards, and quizzes—drawing directly from a user’s uploaded files.
Reports are available in more than 80 languages and can be customized in tone, structure, and format. According to Google, the new features “should be 100%” rolled out by the end of this week.
This makes NotebookLM more competitive with general-purpose AI writing tools, while maintaining its edge as a research platform that can detect themes, patterns, and connections across diverse file types.
A month of rapid releases
The updates cap a whirlwind stretch for Google’s AI division. In August, Gemini began automatically recalling user details and preferences from prior conversations, while free users gained access to Workspace’s video generator, Vids. In September, Photos upgraded to the latest video model, Veo 3, and introduced the ability for free users to generate short, four-second silent videos from their still images.
The steady drumbeat of updates underscores Google’s urgency in the AI race, as it tries to match and outpace rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic. By layering audio, languages, and flexible content creation into its products, Google is signaling that Gemini is not just a conversational AI—but an ecosystem designed to permeate everyday work, study, and online exploration.
How Google’s updates compare in the AI race
Google’s recent spree comes as competitors are consolidating their own AI bets. OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has been integrating its models more deeply into Office, Windows, and Azure while experimenting with memory features for ChatGPT. Meta, meanwhile, has doubled down on Llama and struck a high-profile partnership with Midjourney to strengthen its image-generation capabilities. Anthropic has been refining its Claude assistant to attract enterprise clients.
Against this backdrop, Google’s Gemini upgrades stand out for their consumer focus—rolling advanced features like audio uploads, multi-language Search, and structured reports directly into apps used by students, workers, and casual users. While OpenAI and Meta emphasize ecosystems tethered to enterprise and social platforms, Google appears intent on embedding Gemini in everyday digital habits, from search to note-taking to personal research.