AI WORLD HQ
If you keep research, class notes, or project ideas in separate notebooks, you may have noticed that switching between apps to find things slows you down. This update aims to cut that back by letting you handle your notebooks without leaving the conversation you are already having.
What a Connected App is
A Connected App is a tool that Gemini can work with on your behalf. Think of it like a helper you call into the room when you need it. Instead of opening a separate app, you ask Gemini to use it, and Gemini handles the request in the chat.
Gemini Notebook is the note-collecting tool in this case. A notebook is a container for related material: documents, web pages, chat excerpts, and your own notes, all grouped around one topic.
Two ways to call on it
According to Google's announcement, there are two routes into the feature:
- Type
@Gemini Notebookin a Gemini chat. This tells Gemini directly that you want the notebook tool to handle your request. - Just ask normally. Google says Gemini can detect when a prompt is relevant and use the Connected App on its own. A prompt is simply the instruction you type to the AI.
The announcement describes four kinds of requests you can make in plain language:
- Create, edit, or delete a notebook. For example: "Create a Gemini Notebook about solar farm market trends."
- Add, update, or delete sources. For example: "Add a copy of this chat to my notebook about Bio 101 course." A source is any piece of material the notebook holds.
- List notebooks and their sources. For example: "Show me a list of all the sources in my notebook about US National Parks."
- Ask questions using your notebook. For example: "What do my Gemini Notebooks say about butterfly migration?" Gemini uses the material in your notebook to answer.
The pattern is simple: say what you want in ordinary words, and Gemini works out the steps.
Admins and organizations
If you use Gemini through a work or school account, an administrator controls access. Google says the Connected App is on by default for administrators, and that it is managed through the Gemini and Gemini Notebook access settings. The feature is available to users who belong to a group or organizational unit (a division within an organization's account) where both Gemini and Gemini Notebook are turned on.
The announcement also begins a note about end users, but the text we have cuts off there, so we are not going to guess at the details. Google's Help Center is the place to confirm how it applies to your account.
Wrap-up
The main idea is that your notebooks now live inside the same chat where you think and ask questions. You can create, organize, and search them by typing what you want. As a next step, open a Gemini chat today, type @Gemini Notebook, and ask it to create a notebook about something you are already working on. Then check whether your access settings allow the feature, which your administrator or the Help Center can confirm if you use a work or school account.