Gemini could finally let you choose how friendly it sounds


Google has spent the past few months making Gemini sound more natural, expressive, and conversational. Now, it appears the company is preparing to give users far more control over how the AI speaks.

Code spotted by Android Authority’s APK Insights – the latest beta version of the Google app suggests Gemini may soon allow users to customise its voice across four separate parameters: Energy, Formality, Warmth, and Speed. Instead of choosing from a fixed list of personalities, users could tweak these characteristics to create a voice that better suits their preferences.

The feature hasn’t been announced yet, but the discovery points to Google’s next step in making AI assistants feel more personal.

Gemini’s voice is getting more flexible

The upcoming controls were discovered in Google app 17.41.12 beta, where new strings reference a dedicated “Customize” section within Gemini’s voice settings.

According to the code, users will be able to adjust four characteristics:

  • Energy: Low, Medium, High
  • Formality: Low, Medium, High
  • Warmth: Low, Medium, High
  • Speed: Slow, Normal, Fast

Rather than replacing Gemini’s existing voices, these settings appear designed to build on them. Once configured, the customised voice is expected to carry over to both Gemini Live and the standard chat experience, ensuring a consistent personality across the app.

The approach marks a notable shift. Until now, selecting a Gemini voice has largely meant choosing from Google’s predefined personalities. These new controls suggest Google wants users to shape the assistant’s tone instead of simply picking one that feels closest.

Google already refreshed Gemini’s voices after I/O

The discovery comes shortly after Google rolled out a refreshed voice selection experience following Google I/O.

The redesigned picker replaces the previous carousel interface with a cleaner list view and introduces two new voices: Flare and Glow, replacing the older Nova and Lyra options.

The current lineup now includes:

  • Ursa
  • Vega
  • Pegasus
  • Dipper
  • Eclipse
  • Capella
  • Orbit
  • Orion
  • Flare
  • Glow

Interestingly, Google has also removed the descriptive labels that previously explained each voice’s personality, such as “Calm” or “Bright.” Users are now left to judge the voices by listening to them rather than relying on written descriptions.

The update also refreshes Gemini’s interface with thinner, more modern icons for features like the microphone, camera, gallery, file uploads, video, screen sharing, and Gemini Live. These visual changes are rolling out through a server-side update alongside Gemini version 1.0.913571982.

The timing is also interesting. During Google I/O, the company confirmed that regional dialects are on the roadmap for Gemini. Voice customisation would fit neatly into that broader effort to make AI conversations feel less robotic and more tailored to individual users.

Google also isn’t alone in moving in this direction. Apple’s iOS 27 introduces similar controls for Siri AI, allowing users to adjust Pace and Expressivity, with those preferences extending across Siri-powered experiences like Maps and Safari.

Giving users control over tone, warmth, and speaking style may seem like a small change, but it reflects a bigger shift in the AI race. Companies are no longer competing solely on what their assistants can do. Increasingly, they’re competing on how those assistants sound while doing it.



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Recent Reviews


After months of rumors and two keynote events in May 2026, Google has finally released Android 17, the stable version. It’s rolling out to eligible Pixel devices today, including models in the Pixel 6 lineup, all the way to the latest Pixel 10 series.

The stable build contains plenty of features showcased at The Android Show and Google I/O, but if you were hoping to get your hands on Gemini Intelligence, that will ship later this summer to “select advanced devices.” With that out of the way, here’s what Android 17 offers at launch.

So what’s actually new in Android 17?

The most immediately useful addition is Bubbles, a feature that lets you access a select number of apps in the form of a floating window over another app or a circular app icon on the screen when minimized. 

You can access the feature by long-pressing an app icon and selecting the Bubble option. It’s best suited for your two or three-app workflows, letting you access them one after the other with a single tap on the screen. On foldables and tablets, bubbles dock into a dedicated bar at the bottom of the display. 

Android 17 also gets Screen Reactions, a feature that lets you record your phone’s screen along with your face (via the front-facing camera) simultaneously. It’s primarily for content creators, who can now make reaction videos without opening an editing app. 

What about gaming, security, and everything else?

On the gaming side, foldables get a new 50/50 layout with the game view up top and a dynamic gamepad below. Google has also made memory cleanup more efficient, so that gamers don’t experience frame drops and stutters while playing demanding video games. 

Security gets a meaningful upgrade with features like temporary location permissions and contact-level sharing controls (vs. sharing the entire address book). The Mark as Lost feature in the Find Hub now locks your phone via biometrics so nobody can unlock and reset it with the passcode.

Google also caps PIN guessing, with longer wait times between failed attempts. Rounding out the Android 17 update are hidden app names on the home screen, a dedicated volume slider for your AI assistant (Gemini on Pixel phones), Parental Controls expanding to all Android devices, and app memory limits for preserving system resources.  

Today is the day 👀

— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) June 16, 2026

While Pixel phones are the first to get the update, expect other OEMs to announce their Android 17-based updates in the coming weeks. Samsung, for instance, is expected to roll out One UI 9 at the second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year, rumored to take place on July 22, 2026. Other brands like OnePlus should follow soon.



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