Ever left a meeting with nothing written down, and a vague feeling that something was agreed?
Gemini Notebook can now record it for you.
This week, Google started rolling out a built-in recorder in the Gemini Notebook app on Android and iPhone. Tap the mic, record up to an hour, and the audio becomes a source in your notebook.
Then you can ask it questions, like what was decided, and build on it with your other notes.
(It keeps recording when you lock your phone or switch apps. Handy for long meetings.)
Right after this: how to record into the right notebook, five questions to ask afterward, and the step most people skip before they hit record.
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Right. Back to it.
How to record
Open the Gemini Notebook app. Look for the microphone icon at the bottom, between the camera and Create New. Don't see it? Force-close the app and open it again. It's still rolling out, so it may not be there yet.
Pick where the recording goes. Start from the home screen and it creates a new notebook. Start from a notebook's Sources tab and it's added to that notebook.
Tap the mic. You'll see a timer and a waveform, and you can pause any time.
Tap the checkmark to finish. The recording uploads and becomes a source.
Each recording can run up to one hour. For longer sessions, record in parts.
One limit for now: in this first rollout, English is the only output language.
Five questions to ask afterward
Question 1. The decisions:
What decisions were made in this meeting? List each one and who made it.Question 2. The to-dos:
List every action item, who owns it, and any deadline that was mentioned.Question 3. The loose ends:
What questions came up that nobody answered?Question 4. The follow-up:
Draft a short follow-up email to the group: what we agreed and the next steps.Question 5. The catch-up:
I joined 15 minutes late. What did I miss?Check the answers against the recording before you send anything to anyone.
Make it better
Took notes by hand? Snap photos of them and add them to the same notebook. Then ask questions across both.
And if you read Tuesday's issue: you can also type @Gemini Notebook in a regular Gemini chat to ask about your recordings there.
Before you hit record
Tell people you're recording, and ask first.
It's basic courtesy, and in some places, including several US states, everyone in the conversation has to agree before you record.
Make it stick
Make one notebook per recurring meeting, and record each session into it.
After a month, ask: "What have we decided about [topic] across all these meetings?"
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Talk tomorrow,
Zephyr
P.S. What's the first meeting you'll record? Hit reply and tell me.