Andy Walker / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has been working on its NotebookLM research assistant since 2023.
- So far, the only way to access the versatile tool has been through a large web interface.
- Now NotebookLM is getting ready for smaller screens, as Google confirms app development.
If you’re not yet using Google’s fantastic NotebookLM research assistant, what are you waiting for? The AI tool isn’t just for academics, and the way it can digest reams of information and quickly answer questions makes it useful for tons of stuff in daily life, like reading product manuals so you don’t have to. If you like the idea of NotebookLM, at least, and have just been waiting for a better mobile version of it, you may be in luck, as Google confirms that a NotebookLM app is on the way.
NotebookLM debuted as a web-based tool, and it takes full advantage of big PC displays with its expansive three-panel layout: all your source material on the left, the chat panel in the middle for interacting with the service’s LLM, and studio on the right for setting up your outputs.
That doesn’t mean it’s unusable on phones, though, and we’ve already shown you how you can streamline access by visiting the site in Chrome on Android and choosing Add to Home screen from your browser menu. While that works in a pinch, this is a less than ideal solution, and we’ve been wondering when NotebookLM might get the proper smartphone treatment.
Apparently, that answer is “soon,” as Google’s official NotebookLM X account posted during a reshare earlier today, “the NotebookLM app is coming soon!”
Just how soon is anyone’s guess, but we’ve already seen Google showing an active interest in spreading some of the NotebookLM love across other corners of its ecosystem — like bringing Audio Overviews to Gemini. Granted, that’s just one facet of the whole NotebookLM experience, but Google is clearly thinking about new homes for these tools.
Are you already a NotebookLM user? Would an app convince you to give it a try? Share your experience (or lack thereof) down in the comments.
