Google Adds Real-Time Voice Chat to Search in AI Mode and It Actually Works

Google rolled out Search Live this Tuesday, a new feature that turns Search into a real-time voice assistant — not the clunky, command-based kind, but an actual back-and-forth experience. If you’re in the U.S. and part of the AI Mode experiment inside the Google app (on both Android and iOS), you can now hold an open-ended voice conversation with Search and explore follow-up answers without typing a word.

You activate it by tapping the new “Live” icon inside the Google app. Ask it anything — like “How do I stop a linen dress from wrinkling in my luggage?” — and you’ll hear a spoken answer, plus see related links from the web. If that wasn’t enough, you can follow up naturally — like, “What if it’s already wrinkled?” — and Search continues the chat without missing a beat.

While the idea sounds like something that should’ve existed already, the execution feels tight. Search Live stays active in the background, so you can flip to another app while talking. There’s also a transcript button for text-based interaction if you prefer tapping to talking.

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Google built this on top of a custom version of Gemini, their new flagship model. It uses “query fan-out” to surface broader, more relevant web results in response to your voice input. That means Search doesn’t just summarize — it pulls in links and sources that you can check for yourself.

If you’ve joined the Labs experiment, the feature appears right below your search bar. Google says more upgrades are coming soon, including the ability to show Search what you’re seeing via your camera. For now, the audio chat works surprisingly well and might just be the most useful thing Google Search has done with AI this year.

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