Summary
- An upcoming version of the Google Gemini app could support video uploads.
- The feature was spotted in a beta version of the Google app, and could make it to Gemini imminently.
- Google is likely to place some limits on the file size and duration of the videos, while the company could also limit this feature to subscribers of Gemini Advanced.
Google Gemini for Android can answer questions about practically anything. Since recently, Google has also opened up some of the Advanced tier’s perks to free users, thus making the app accessible to more people. While the chatbot can answer questions about documents, PDFs, images, and multiple other file types, it doesn’t support video uploads. Fortunately, it looks like Google’s nearly ready to change that.
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If you use the Gemini app on Android, the file picker (+ icon) in the text field gives you a few options, including the ability to take a picture, attach an image from your Gallery or upload PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, etc., using the default file explorer or Google Drive. In all of these options, the ability to attach a video is missing.
But as per Android Authority’s discovery, Google may change that imminently. Looking through the Google app beta (v16.9.39.sa.arm64), the publication located strings that mention support for video uploads. Some of these strings are self-explanatory, such as the descriptions of the video duration and the play button. Here are the other strings uncovered by the site:
Attached video file
Adding a new video will remove the current one.
Replace current video?
Get Gemini to go through long videos and analyze them for you
Source: Android Authority
Android Authority also got the feature to work, well, almost. While the site was able to select a video from the file picker, they couldn’t get Gemini to go through it and provide an analysis. This isn’t surprising, though, given that the feature remains under development.
But the screenshots above give you a decent idea of how the general experience will go. When a video (.mp4 file in this case) is attached with your prompt, it will mention the duration of the video while also carrying a play button. It’s unclear when the feature will officially be available to Gemini users, though since the groundwork is already laid, we presume the wait won’t be too long.
Adding video uploads will no doubt bolster Gemini’s capabilities, and one can think of several situations where this could be useful. Google will likely limit video uploads based on factors like file size and/or the overall duration of the video. There’s also the chance that Google will hide some of these capabilities behind Gemini Advanced, thereby compelling users to invest in a subscription that is losing its value, especially with Google making more and more of these paid features available to all users.
