Gemini Live’s Astra Features Are Finally Rolling Out To Free Users
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Summary
- Gemini Live’s camera and screen-sharing features are now available to all users on Android and iOS, regardless of their subscription status.
- Google brought these features to some devices initially, before bringing them to subscribers of the Google One AI Premium plan recently.
- The rollout of Gemini Live’s camera and screen-sharing capabilities to users on the free tier was announced last month.
Google gave Gemini Live a major boost with the introduction of camera and screen-sharing capabilities a few months ago, allowing subscribers of the Google One AI Premium plan to get a wide range of queries answered depending on what they see on the screen or through their camera’s lens. We’ve known since April that Google intends to expand this feature to everyone, including free users. Nearly over a month and a half later, it looks like the rollout has officially commenced.
Related
Over a week after Google reconfirmed the feature’s wider availability, the Gemini team posted an update on X/Twitter announcing the rollout of Gemini Live’s camera and screen-sharing “to all Gemini users.” It’s currently unclear if there will be usage limits for free users of the app. Before this rollout, users on the free tier would see the camera and screen-sharing buttons grayed out in Gemini Live.
Bringing Gemini Live’s best capabilities to a broader audience
Gemini Live’s camera and screen-sharing options, alongside the Share screen with Live chip
To get started, activate Gemini Live by tapping the waveform icon to the right of the recently redesigned prompt bar. From here, it’s as simple as hitting the first bottom row icon for camera mode or the second icon for screen sharing. The latter can also be activated by tapping the Share screen with Live chip within the Gemini overlay that appears when you long-press the power button on some devices (pictured above).
Screen sharing triggers a dialog box each time, letting you choose between sharing the entire screen or just the contents of one app. You will also find a persistent notification/indicator, similar to the one that appears during phone calls, that highlights the duration of the screen-sharing session. Tapping this pill-shaped indicator in the top left of your screen lets you end screen sharing.
It’s a fairly straightforward process and can be used in multiple scenarios, whether to get tips on your wardrobe or learn about something on your screen. Overall, these two features perform exactly as advertised, even on an aging Pixel device in my experience. These inclusions join a number of Gemini features that were initially hidden behind a subscription, only for them to be available on the free tier later.
