Google rolls out AI voice control

A spoken sentence can trigger an email search in Google without the user having to type. Google is rolling out AI-powered voice control for Gmail, Docs and Notes: It can search or summarize emails, create initial document drafts and record trains of thought.

The feature understands natural language. Users therefore do not need to type special commands to start a search, request a summary or prepare a document. Google is using Gemini, its AI assistant, to further integrate the technology into its Workspace apps.

The assistant is not necessarily limited to the application currently open. If the required permissions have been granted, it can also use information from other Google apps such as Gmail or Drive. This makes the voice control more than a simple dictation feature: It can incorporate content from the user's personal work files.

In practical terms, paying Google AI subscribers can search emails, summarize text and create initial documents on Android and iOS devices without typing their instructions. The features are already rolling out but are not yet generally available.

Access and permissions are the limiting factors. For now, the feature remains restricted to paying Google AI subscribers, and the assistant may access data from Gmail or Drive only if users allow it. According to Google, the new capabilities are also expected to become available in German as the rollout progresses, but the introduction is not yet complete.