Now you can listen to Gemini-powered summaries in Google Docs: How it works

Google Docs is rolling out Gemini-powered audio summaries, letting users listen to quick document overviews with natural voices and adjustable playback speeds on desktop

Google has started rolling out a new AI-powered feature in Google Docs that lets users listen to short audio summaries of their documents. According to Google, audio summaries in Docs provide a brief verbal synopsis of the contents of users’ documents, including multiple tabs. The update builds on the Text-to-Speech feature in Docs, introduced in August 2025, which uses Gemini to turn written content into spoken audio.

Google Docs Gemini-powered audio summary: How it works

According to Google’s blog, the new feature is designed to give a brief overview of a document. Instead of going through long reports or detailed notes, users can listen to a short audio summary that highlights the most important parts. The company said the summaries are usually under a few minutes long and use natural-sounding voices to enhance the listening experience.

 

 

Additionally, users can personalise their listening experience. The feature offers different voice styles such as narrator, persuader, and coach. Playback speed can also be adjusted, from 0.5x to 2x, depending on how fast or slow someone prefers to listen. 

 

Google explained that someone can quickly catch up on meeting notes before a discussion or listen to the highlights of a long report while doing other tasks. The company added that the tool can also help users follow along with their writing to improve understanding or even spot errors more easily.

 

On the web version of Google Docs, the feature can be found under the Tools menu. Along with the existing “Listen to this tab” option, users will now see “Listen to document summary.” When selected, it opens an audio player with playback controls, a timeline scrubber, and options to change the voice style. 

 

Google said the feature will roll out over the coming weeks for specific subscribers, including:

• Business Standard and Plus
• Enterprise Standard and Plus
• Google AI Ultra for Business add-on
• Google AI Pro for Education add-on
• Google AI Pro and Ultra