Google appears to be developing an offline mode for Gemini Live that could allow Android users to hold AI-powered voice conversations without an internet connection.
The feature has not been officially announced, but references discovered in a recent version of Google’s Android app suggest that the company is exploring a way to make Gemini Live work directly on users’ devices.
The findings come from an analysis of Google app version 17.71.17 conducted by Android Authority. The publication identified two lines of code referring to an “Offline mode” and describing it as a way to “Use Gemini Live without an internet connection.”
App code reveals possible offline feature
The discovered text suggests that the option could appear in Gemini’s account switcher menu, although its exact location and how users would activate it remain unclear.
The findings indicate that Google is working towards extending Gemini Live beyond its current reliance on an internet connection.
Gemini Live allows users to have real-time voice conversations with Google’s AI assistant. The feature has also gained capabilities such as camera access and screen sharing, making it possible for users to discuss what their phone camera sees or get help with content displayed on their screens.
However, running the service without an internet connection presents technical challenges because it relies on fast speech recognition, conversational processing, and voice generation.
Gemini Nano could power offline conversations
One possibility is that the offline version will rely on Gemini Nano, Google's smaller AI model designed to run directly on supported Android devices.
Unlike Google's more powerful cloud-based AI systems, on-device models can handle certain tasks without sending requests to remote servers. This could allow Gemini Live to support basic conversations and simpler requests even when a user has no network connection.
However, the offline experience may not match the speed, accuracy, or capabilities of the standard version. Smartphone hardware has limited memory and processing capacity compared with Google's cloud infrastructure, which could restrict the complexity of tasks the local model can handle.
It is also unclear whether features such as camera and screen sharing will work in offline mode.
What the feature could mean for Android users
An offline version of Gemini Live could be useful to people in areas with unreliable internet access, travellers without mobile data, and users who want to access basic AI assistance when disconnected.
It could also make Google's AI assistant more dependable by reducing its reliance on continuous network connectivity.
For now, however, the feature remains under development based on references found in the app's code. Google has not confirmed when it will launch or which devices will support it.
The discovery comes as Google continues to expand Gemini Live. Recent additions include Guided Vision, which helps users interact with information through their camera, and live translation capabilities introduced in September.
Whether the offline version can deliver a similarly responsive experience without cloud computing remains to be seen.
Source: Android Authority