The new Gemini Live update aims to provide users with a more flexible and quiet audio experience via an independent mute button that preserves general phone settings without disruption.
Google app beta leaks
The importance of the independent mute button for users
Technical inspection notes and upcoming features
Ongoing adjustments to Gemini Live
Frequently asked questions
Google app beta leaks
Google has begun testing an updated visual interface for the intelligent voice assistant «Gemini Live», which is dedicated to real-time interactive conversations. Specialists at the tech platform Android Authority were able to activate the unannounced interface within beta version 17.65.17 of the main Google app on October 12, 2026. The inspection revealed modified soundwave animations, alongside an all-new speaker icon aimed at allowing the user to directly silence the assistant’s spoken responses.
Google has not yet officially announced the release date of this update for general users, but code data confirms its desire to facilitate silent voice interaction. The current interface relies on a broad bar at the bottom of the screen featuring speech-reactive waveform lines, while the beta version moves the new speaker button to the top right corner to provide quick and convenient one-touch access.
The importance of the independent mute button for users
This technical option solves an urgent daily problem faced by voice assistant users; currently, users are forced to enable text captioning features and then either lower the phone’s media volume entirely or activate silent mode to view answers without hearing loud audio. Android Headlines noted that this traditional method is confusing because lowering the media volume applies to all apps on the device.
Lowering the overall phone volume carries recurring risks of missing important alarm alerts, incoming calls, or urgent notifications later. The new independent button mutes Gemini Live responses exclusively, while keeping the phone’s general audio settings in their normal state, making the assistant’s use extremely smooth and private while in public transit, crowded offices, or quiet places.
Technical inspection notes and upcoming features
Initial tests confirmed that the spotted software version is still in its early development stages and incomplete in functionality. It lacked the live video sharing and screen sharing tools available in the stable release, and the interface did not respond to experimental commands in some attempts.
Tech reports suggested that Google will re-integrate these essential tools and improve responsiveness before a wide rollout in stable updates. Android Authority cautioned that features discovered inside decompressed app packages reflect working models under internal development, and they may undergo substantial modifications or be postponed according to quality tests and user experience.
Ongoing adjustments to Gemini Live
This change comes as an extension of a succession of improvements introduced by Google to Gemini Live over the past few months. Last April, 9to5Google pointed to an update in version 17.14 that abandoned the full interface in favor of an elegant window on the home page featuring a blue sound wave and buttons for camera and microphone sharing.
The new speaker button differs fundamentally from the previously available microphone mute button; the microphone button prevents ambient noise from interrupting the assistant’s speech, while the speaker button works in the opposite direction to prevent the assistant from speaking its words out loud while the dialogue continues in text form. Leaks also revealed that Google engineers are working on other advanced features arriving soon, including a temporary video mode and keyboard input availability within voice sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Question: What is the primary function of the new speaker icon in Gemini Live?
Answer: It allows the user to mute the audio generated by the smart assistant’s answers without needing to lower the phone system’s general volume or mute other media.
Question: Why is the current mute solution annoying for phone users?
Answer: Because it requires lowering the phone’s general volume, which can cause them to miss important call rings, alarms, and other app alerts.
Question: What is the difference between the microphone mute button and the new speaker mute button?
Answer: Muting the microphone prevents the assistant from picking up surrounding environmental sounds, whereas muting the speaker silences the assistant’s spoken answers while the conversation continues in writing.
