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Record your whole class with Gemini Notebook, explained by monkey

comment: CLASS

Google's free Gemini Notebook phone app can now record up to an hour of a class or meeting and write it all down. Then you can ask it what was said. Here's where the button is, what to ask, and what it won't do.

Gemini Notebook is Google's study app (it used to be called NotebookLM). Its phone app for Android and iPhone now has a built-in recorder. Google started rolling it out widely on October 27, 2026. You record up to one hour at a time, and when you stop, it turns the audio into written text that sits in your notebook next to your other notes and files.

How to record

  • Get the free Gemini Notebook app on your phone (Android or iPhone) and sign in with your Google account.
  • Tap the microphone button at the bottom of the home screen. That starts a new notebook with the recording in it. Already have a notebook for this class? Open it, go to Sources, and tap the microphone there instead.
  • Put the phone down. It keeps recording if you lock the screen or switch apps. There's a pause button if the class takes a break.
  • Tap the checkmark when class is over. It uploads the recording and writes it all down.

What to ask it after

  • "What did the teacher say about the test?"
  • "Give me the five most important points from today."
  • "Explain the part about photosynthesis like I'm 12."
  • "Make me a short quiz on today's class."

What it won't do

  • Ask first. Recording a class or a meeting without permission can break school rules or the law where you live.
  • One hour per recording. For a longer class, start a second recording.
  • It keeps the written version, not the sound. Reviewers found the original audio is thrown away once the text is made, so you can't play it back later.
  • Phone app only. If you don't see the microphone button yet, update the app or close it fully and reopen it.
  • Early reviewers said it's basic and an upload failed at first. Check that the recording shows up in your notebook before you count on it for a big test.

Sources: 9to5Google (Oct 27, 2026), Android Police via Yahoo Tech (Oct 28, 2026), ETV Bharat (Oct 30, 2026) and the official @Gemini_Notebook post on X (Oct 27, 2026), Google's NotebookLM-to-Gemini-Notebook announcement (blog.google, Jul 16, 2026).

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