Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR
- NotebookLM debuted in 2023 as an experimental research tool.
- Last year Google upgraded the tool with its “virtual podcast” Audio Overviews.
- We’ve been expecting NotebookLM apps for a couple months now, and today the Android release arrives early.
Update, May 19, 2025 (05:03 PM ET): In the hours since we spotted NotebookLM hitting the Play Store a little ahead of schedule, Google has gone ahead and formally announced the app’s availability. In addition to the Android version we saw earlier today, the iOS edition is now similarly available for iPhone and iPad users.
Original article, May 19, 2025 (11:30 AM ET): If you’re trying to make a convert out of an AI nay-sayer, look no further than Google’s NotebookLM. The research assistant can easily digest all the source materials you throw at it, from product manuals to textbooks, and respond to your questions about them like a seasoned pro, making for a quick and impressive demo. And if that doesn’t blow their mind, just tap into Audio Overviews to hear a couple virtual podcast hosts get into an enthusiastic discussion on the subject. So far, though, NotebookLM has only existed as a web service. Now that’s finally changing.
We heard last month that NotebookLM was getting its own Android app, and a few weeks back Google confirmed plans to release the software for both Android and iOS on May 20, corresponding with the start of this year’s Google I/O developer conference.
Well, over on the App Store we’re still seeing that “Expected May 20, 2025” message, but somebody at Google seems to have jumped the gun, because the NotebookLM Play Store listing is now live, and we’ve already successfully installed the app.
Just like on the web, you’re able to add source documents, here accessed through a button at the bottom of the screen instead of the three-pane layout we’re familiar with. Another tap takes you over to the chat view, while the third takes you to your output options — and just like you’d hope for, that includes Audio Overviews.
Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
It takes about 10-20 seconds to start a new Audio Overview going, and you get a full suite of playback controls, including double-speed for when NotebookLM’s condensed summaries still need to be a little denser.
With any luck, we’ll be seeing Google talk even more about this release as I/O gets started tomorrow — and finally get our hands on the app for iOS.
