Gemini Live’s Voice Customization Faces Quality Challenges
Google’s Gemini Live, renowned for its customizable voice options, is currently experiencing significant quality issues that are affecting user experience. These problems have become more pronounced following the recent Gemini Live 3.1 Flash Live update, though similar issues have been reported intermittently over time.
Users have observed notable changes in speech cadence, tone, and accent consistency across various voice settings. For instance, the Capella voice option, designed to emulate a female British accent, has undergone substantial degradation since its initial release. Other regional voice options are also exhibiting similar inconsistencies.
Over the past few months, many voice options have deteriorated, and the speech preview sounds almost nothing like the actual experience when interacting with Gemini Live. Speech patterns are much slower, the high-pitched voice is toned down, and at times it sounds Australian or dips back into other, more standard American accents when responding to queries or having a back-and-forth conversation.
Resetting the Gemini application temporarily restores the intended accent, but it gradually morphs into a hybrid-sounding voice, which can be quite jarring.
Additionally, users have reported audio artifacts such as crackles, pops, and hisses, which are becoming increasingly common complaints on Google’s Support Forums. These issues are sporadic and not always replicable across different voice options.
Interestingly, many of the voice options remain unaffected when using Gemini for quick voice controls or when utilizing the Live feature in-car with Android Auto. It remains unclear whether Google is aware of these issues, but inquiries have been made to the company for clarification.
