'Gmail Live' is a new way to search emails as AI Inbox comes to AI Plus, AI Pro

At I/O 2026, Google announced two big updates for Gmail, starting with a new Live voice search experience.

On mobile, you’ll find the same waveform icon used by Gemini Live in the search bar. This launches a fullscreen experience with a waveform that hugs the edge of your screen.

You’ll see a transcript of what you asked and Gmail’s responses. Buttons at the bottom let you mute the microphone and exit.

Questions can be phrased naturally with support for follow-ups and switching topics in the same conversation. It’s very much like Gemini Live but optimized for Gmail.

In terms of availability, Gmail Live is rolling out to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the US (English) this summer on Android and iOS.

Before today, Gmail’s AI Inbox was available only to AI Ultra subscribers. Google is now bringing the experience to AI Plus and AI Pro with new capabilities.

AI Inbox prioritizes tasks and what you need to accomplish over individual messages. It’s grouped by “Suggested to-dos” and “Topics to catch up on.” On the web, it appears just below the regular Inbox in your side panel, while it’s also available from the bottom bar on mobile.

The first new feature today lets you mark tasks as done or mark all emails in a topic as read. There’s also the ability to dismiss suggestions.

When relevant, each card will have direct shortcuts to mentioned Docs, Sheets, or Slides in the email. The final addition provides contextual and personalized drafts to immediately respond. 

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