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Gmail AI Inbox is a beta view that lists the emails Google’s Gemini thinks need action and summarizes the topics a user has missed. Gmail Live is a separate voice feature on phones for asking Gemini questions about the mailbox. Google’s Workspace Updates blog said on Oct. 15, 2026 that Gmail AI Inbox is rolling out to paid Workspace users and that Gmail Live is rolling out to paid Workspace users. This guide covers who can use each feature, how to turn them on, what each one leaves out, and where Google’s own pages differ.
What Gmail AI Inbox shows
According to Google’s help page for AI Inbox on a computer, the Gmail AI Inbox has two sections. Suggested to-dos lists high-priority items pulled from incoming mail, with the required action in bold, such as the due date on a utility bill. Topics to catch up on summarizes updates across projects and subjects like travel, reservations and purchase confirmations. The Workspace Updates post describes the first as action items, deliverables and deadlines, and the second as summaries of decisions and status changes across multi-message threads.
Google labels Gmail AI Inbox as beta and says it may change. Use is covered by the Google Cloud Terms of Service, not the pre-release terms.
Who can use Gmail AI Inbox and Gmail Live
Both features are limited to the United States and to English. The table combines Google’s two help pages and the two Workspace Updates posts.
| Item | Gmail AI Inbox | Gmail Live |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Gmail on a computer; the post also mentions the mobile app menu | Gmail app on Android phones and iPhones |
| Language and region | English, US only | English, US only |
| Personal accounts | Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra | Google AI Plus, Pro or Ultra, or the Google Workspace Experiments tester program |
| Work accounts | Business and Enterprise Standard and Plus, Frontline Plus; Starter and Education later | Business and Enterprise Starter, Standard and Plus, Frontline Plus, nonprofits, and several Gemini add-ons |
| Rollout start | Oct. 12 (Rapid Release), Oct. 26 (Scheduled Release) | Oct. 15 for both release tracks |
| Time to appear | Up to 15 days after rollout, then up to 7 days for first to-dos | Up to 15 days after rollout |
| Required setting | Smart features in Google Workspace and in other Google products | The same two smart-feature settings |
The Workspace Updates post on Gmail AI Inbox lists the Business and Enterprise Starter editions and the Education editions as arriving “in the coming months,” while the Gmail Live post lists Starter as eligible now.
How to turn on and open Gmail AI Inbox
Google’s help page says the two smart-feature settings must be on before Gmail AI Inbox appears. They can take a few hours to take effect. To show or hide the Gmail AI Inbox, the page gives these steps:
- Open Gmail on a computer and click Settings at the top right, then See all settings.
- Click the Inbox tab at the top.
- Check or uncheck the box next to Show AI Inbox.
With the box checked, click AI Inbox in the left panel and use the refresh button at the top to get the latest items. Each to-do has an action button such as View or Reply, a link to the source email, chat or document, and a Mark done control. Under More options a user can remove a to-do, give positive or negative feedback, or report abuse. In the topics section, Mark all as read also marks the matching emails as read in the inbox. View all at the bottom of the page in a browser shows every to-do and topic, including those not on the main view.
What Gmail AI Inbox leaves out
| Item | What Google’s help page says |
|---|---|
| Tabs read | Only the Primary tab, not Social or Promotions |
| Filtered out | Spam, plus messages that were archived, deleted, muted or snoozed |
| Not supported | Attachments, delegated inboxes and encrypted emails |
| Empty view | Can appear empty when little mail was sent or received recently |
| Hidden items | Some to-dos or topic updates may be generated but not shown |
| Admin control | None for Gmail AI Inbox, per the Workspace Updates post |
How to start Gmail Live on a phone
Google’s help page for Gmail Live describes it as a conversation in the Gmail app, where a user can interrupt Gemini to change the topic or narrow a question. The steps on an Android phone are:
- Open the Gmail app and tap the Gmail Live icon at the top.
- On first use, allow the microphone for the Gmail app and accept the terms.
- Start talking, or tap one of the suggested prompts.
The Workspace Updates post says the entry point is the Live button in the Gmail search bar. If microphone access was denied earlier, the session will not start. The help page says to tap Settings on the error screen and allow the microphone there. Its sample questions come from the post: the status of a supplier order, the next mandatory training deadline, the latest update from a manager and the departure gate for tomorrow’s flight.
Source cards, muting and ending a session
Answers in Gmail Live carry citations. Tapping a link opens the exact email behind the answer, and a Sources card at the bottom lists every email cited. The Workspace post says a source card now appears at every turn of the conversation. Tapping an email in the source menu opens it and ends the session, and View search page at the bottom of that menu returns to the standard search layout. Mute switches off the microphone while Gemini finishes speaking, and Unmute resumes. End, shown as an X, closes the session.
Google’s help page says transcripts are saved to the Gemini in Workspace conversation history, where they can be viewed and deleted from a web browser. A warning appears if device volume is at zero, and a dropped connection ends the session, after which Try again appears.
What admins can control
| Feature | Admin position |
|---|---|
| Gmail AI Inbox | No admin control, according to the Workspace Updates post |
| Gmail Live | On by default for organizations with Gemini in Workspace access; respects existing smart features and personalization settings |
| Gmail Live beta access | Admins control access to Gemini Beta and may need to enable Beta features, per the help page |
Google’s post points admins to its Admin Help article on turning Gemini features on or off for users. Readers who use other Google apps with Gemini can compare these limits with the Jolt Journal’s guide to Gemini’s in-chat file editing, and consumers on the Plus plan can see what changes on Nov. 13 in the report on Google AI Plus losing Gemini Pro. Another assistant that reaches into Workspace is covered in the guide to Grok in Google Workspace.
Where Google’s pages disagree or stay silent
The Gmail Live help page says the voice cannot be changed, while the Workspace Updates post says users can choose a preferred voice. The help page says Gmail Live is unavailable on Android tablets and does not mention iPads, and the post refers to supported iOS and Android devices without that detail. The Gmail AI Inbox help page says the Gmail AI Inbox needs an eligible plan and does not name Workspace editions, and neither page explains how Gemini decides which emails count as high priority. Google has not said when either beta will end or whether the US and English limits will be lifted.
Editor’s take
Gmail AI Inbox is the easier of the two to judge, since it can be switched off with one checkbox and its exclusions are listed. Gmail Live asks for a microphone and saves transcripts, so it deserves a look at the Gemini conversation history after the first few sessions. Gmail AI Inbox and Gmail Live are both beta features with narrow eligibility, and the settings above are the first thing to check when the option does not appear.
This is general information about Google’s features, which are in beta and may change. Google’s help pages have the final word on eligibility, steps and data use.
