Google Docs began rolling out Gemini-powered audio summaries on February 12, 2026, extending the platform's text-to-speech capabilities introduced in August 2025. The feature provides brief verbal synopses of document contents through Google's Gemini AI.
Users access audio summaries through the Tools menu in the web version of Google Docs. The new "Listen to document summary" option appears alongside the existing "Listen to this tab" feature. Google designed the tool to help users quickly review meeting notes before discussions or catch up on long reports while multitasking.
The audio player includes a timeline scrubber and playback speed controls ranging from 0.5x to 2x. Users can select different voice styles including narrator, persuader, and coach to personalize their listening experience.
According to Google, the feature condenses document text into summaries rather than reading entire documents aloud.
Rollout began for specific Workspace subscribers including Business Standard and Plus, Enterprise Standard and Plus, Google AI Ultra for Business add-on, Google AI Pro for Education add-on, and Google AI Pro and Ultra customers. The feature has no separate admin or end-user controls, requiring no additional configuration once available. It is only available on the web version of Google Docs.
Google confirmed the gradual rollout may take more than 15 days for full visibility across eligible accounts. The company first spotted audio summary development in September 2025, with the current implementation building on text-to-speech functionality that converts written content into spoken audio through Gemini.
Audio summaries join other recent Gemini enhancements in Google Docs, following a major update in October 2025 that improved AI capabilities across the Workspace platform. The feature aims to improve document accessibility while supporting productivity workflows for users managing multiple documents simultaneously.
