Google Gemini now gets Audio File support: How to use it on Android and iPhone
Google has added audio file upload support to its Gemini app on Android and iOS, along with ZIP file compatibility. Free users can upload 10 minutes of audio, while Pro and Ultra users get up to 3 hours per file.
Google has rolled out a big update for its Gemini AI app on both Android and iOS. Starting now, users can upload audio files to the chatbot for analysis. Until now, Gemini has only supported text files and a few document formats. With this new feature, users can upload music samples, interviews, podcasts, or voice recordings and ask Gemini to process or answer queries based on them.
Along with audio, Google has also added support for ZIP files, making it easier for users to share multiple documents at once.
Why does this update matter?
Josh Woodward, Vice President of Google Labs, confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that audio file uploads were the number one requested feature by users. Gemini already supports images, videos, PDFs, and text formats, but now, audio files open up more creative and professional use cases.
For example, students can upload lecture recordings, musicians can upload song snippets, and professionals can upload interviews or meeting recordings for analysis.
Gemini’s free users vs paid users: Rate limits explained?
- Just like images and videos, audio uploads also come with limits depending on the user’s plan:
- Free Gemini Users: Can upload up to 10 minutes of audio per file and use 5 free prompts per day.
- Google AI Pro and AI Ultra Users: Can upload audio files up to 3 hours long and upload 10 files per day across all formats.
- For ZIP uploads, the file can contain a maximum of 10 files. Meanwhile, when uploading coding files or GitHub repositories, users can add up to 5,000 files (max 100MB) per session.
Supported file formats
- Apart from audio, Gemini supports a wide range of formats, including:
- Text and Documents: txt, doc, docx, PDF, RTF, Google Docs, hwp, hwpx
- Spreadsheets: xls, xlsx, csv, tsv, Google Sheets
- Media: images, videos, audio files
- ZIP archives
How to upload Audio Files on the Gemini App (Smart guide)
- Download/Update the Gemini App: Ensure you have the latest version of Gemini from the Google Play Store (Android) or App Store (iOS).
- Log in with Your Google Account.
- Tap on the Upload Icon inside a chat window.
- Select Audio File: Choose your recording, podcast, or music file.
- Ask a Question: Type a query like “Summarise this audio” or “What are the key points?”
- Get Results: Gemini will analyse and give you answers instantly, depending on your plan’s limits.
This makes Gemini not just a text-based assistant but also a tool for handling real-world recordings.