Gemini Live acquires agency tasks, control over voice inbox, and personal intelligence.

      Google has introduced four new features to Gemini Live, enabling spoken commands to activate background agents that function across Docs, Sheets, and Drive, in addition to hands-free control of Gmail and a spoken daily briefing. Under its DMA settlement, Google must allow competing assistants to achieve similar capabilities on Android by July 2027.

      The voice assistant from Google can now continue its tasks even after you stop speaking. Gemini Live is now capable of conveying a spoken command to Spark, which executes multi-step tasks across Docs, Sheets, Drive, and the web over several days, even when the app is closed.

      Along with this, three additional smaller features have been introduced. A spoken daily briefing integrates Gmail and Calendar, hands-free inbox management allows for searching, summarizing, starring, archiving, and deleting, and Personal Intelligence remembers previous conversations and interacts with connected apps.

      The rationale behind the design is clearly stated. Google reports that 63% of Gemini users already use voice commands, and product director Neel Joshi mentioned that “speaking a prompt out loud is often the fastest way to get assistance with Gemini.”

      Some of these features have been seen before. Both Spark and Daily Brief were presented at I/O in May, but what is genuinely new is the ability to access them via voice in a seamless conversation.

      The tiered structure is more important than the features themselves. Utilizing Spark requires a Google AI Pro subscription or higher, while Daily Brief needs an AI Plus subscription, meaning the agent capabilities are gated behind the more expensive plans.

      In Europe, this development coincides with an existing obligation for Google. Its agreement with the Commission mandates that it allows competitor assistants on Android to offer comparable functionalities, including voice wake commands and in-app actions, by July 2027.

      This requirement has now changed. Every new feature added to Gemini Live also serves as a benchmark for what competitors must ultimately be permitted to create in the EU.

      The data aspect presents a separate issue under the same legislation. Article 5(2) of the Digital Markets Act prohibits a gatekeeper from using personal data from a designated service in its other services without explicit consent.

      Of the four applications mentioned by Google, two are classified as designated. Search and YouTube are core platform services as defined by Alphabet, but Gmail and Photos do not fall under this classification.

      Google's position is that nothing occurs unless prompted by users. To activate any of these features, users must link their apps in the Personal Intelligence settings first.

      However, the announcement does not specify where these features will be available. It does not mention any countries, languages, or any exclusions in Europe, despite the fact that the assistant previously bypassed Europe at its launch.