Gemini Notebook can now be controlled directly from the Gemini app

What's new

Gemini Notebook, formerly known as NotebookLM, is now available as a Connected App in the Gemini app. That means the research tool works like other connected apps, so you no longer have to switch back and forth between two programs.

In a chat, you can type "@Gemini Notebook" and ask it to create, edit or delete notebooks. You can also add, update or delete sources in a notebook and view your notebooks and their sources. The feature is available from October 23, 2026, for both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains in Google Workspace. It applies to all Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers and users with a personal Google account.

What's smart

You can ask Gemini questions where the contents of one of your notebooks are used as background for the answer. You can also have a copy of a chat saved into an existing notebook, so a good conversation isn't lost. According to 9to5Google, the Gemini app is also supposed to detect on its own when Gemini Notebook is relevant to a request.

Notebooks sync in both directions. If you rename a notebook, add a source or update the instructions in one app, the change shows up in the other.

For background, Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook on July 16, 2026. According to Google, the service is used by more than 30 million individuals and more than 600,000 organizations. Notebooks in the Gemini app first arrived on April 8, 2026, for Google AI Plus, Pro and Ultra subscribers on the web.

Cheaper or better?

Pricing has not been disclosed. The sources don't mention any special subscription requirements for the Connected App and don't distinguish between payment tiers. There are also no benchmarks or comparisons with competitors' similar tools.

It is still important to know the difference between the two apps. Answers in Gemini Notebook are based solely on your own sources, while Gemini can also draw on web search. In addition, shared notebooks created in Gemini Notebook can't be viewed in the Gemini app. Gemini also can't create Studio content such as Audio Overviews, infographics and slides. That remains exclusive to Gemini Notebook.

For users in Denmark, there is one important detail: the Connected App is turned on by default globally, but turned off by default in the European Economic Area (EEA). Denmark is part of the EEA, so you have to turn it on yourself under Settings > Connected Apps in the Gemini app. The sources don't say whether or when the default setting will change.

Who it's good for

The feature suits people who already collect research, notes and documents in notebooks and want to manage them from a regular chat. That could be a student who continually adds new sources, or an employee who wants to use a collection of documents as the basis for an answer.

For businesses, administrators control access through the existing settings for Gemini and Gemini Notebook. The app is only available to users in groups or organizational units where both services are enabled. If you need shared notebooks or want to create Audio Overviews, infographics and slides, you still have to open Gemini Notebook itself.