Users no longer need a computer to use Google Notebook's AI toolLM

After a long wait, NotebookLM finally has a mobile app. It was originally scheduled to launch on May 20, but Google decided to release it a day early. You can download it and start using it now.

NotebookLM Mobile App Coming Soon

NotebookLM's mobile app was supposed to launch on May 20, but Google decided to release it early. You can head over to the Play Store and download it now without having to wait for an official launch date. The app took a little longer to arrive on iOS, but it's now available on the App Store as well.

1. Download NotebookLM for Android | iOS (Free)

All the features from the web are now in your pocket!

The mobile app offers everything you get on the web version. Sign in with your Google account and you'll see your notebooks, each marked with its own colorful emoji. Each note consists of three sections: Sources , Chat , and Studio .

You can upload sources from PDFs, text, Markdown files, and even audio. Linking to websites and YouTube videos is just as easy, or you can paste documents directly. NotebookLM's Discover sources feature is also here, so you can type in a topic and let the app find relevant documents for you. You probably don't see much value here — if you want an AI to crawl the internet, just use ChatGPT .

The Studio is where most of NotebookLM's magic happens. This is where you'll find NotebookLM's Audio Overview feature, a podcast-style summary of your notes to help you learn faster.

What is different on the mobile version?

There are only a few real improvements between the mobile and web versions, all of which have to do with the Audio Overview feature.

First, the app gives you dynamic, animated graphics while the audio plays—something you won't see on the web, where the visuals are pretty lifeless by comparison. This is a plus if you care about visuals, but honestly, no one is staring at NotebookLM while listening. People are usually taking notes in Obsidian or doing something else productive.

Another improvement: You can now delete Audio Overviews from the app before loading them. On the web, you're forced to download the entire audio file before you can listen, which is a pain if your overview is longer than 30 minutes and you can tell from the title or language that the AI ​​has gotten it wrong. It's a small change, but it makes the mobile experience much less frustrating.

Aside from the two minor improvements, there's one issue with the mobile app: The Studio tab is stripped down. Aside from the Audio Overview, there's no other feature there. On the web, Studio comes pre-loaded with structured prompts like Timeline , Briefing Doc , and FAQ , along with NotebookLM's Mind Maps.

On mobile, there's only Audio Overview. Even for notebooks that have Mind Maps, Timelines, or other presets created on the computer, none of them appear in the app. It's a downgrade if you rely on those features.

A well-founded AI tool

NotebookLM started as a small Google research project. If you haven't heard of it, it's an AI assistant that only knows what you upload. At first glance, that might seem limiting. After all, what good is AI if it's not omnipotent?

But if you've ever used AI to learn, you know why this matters. The AI ​​illusion is everywhere, and sometimes you want answers to come from your professor's notes, not from the internet or some generic source. Don't care how anyone else does it — your exams will be graded on the material your professor covered.

Creating mobile apps is easier than ever with all the AI ​​and no-code platforms out there, so it's strange that Google has waited so long. Maybe they're waiting to see if the product is worth it. Big Tech only spends money where there's a guaranteed return. But the app is finally here, which means you don't have to jump through so many hoops just to play Audio Overview in your car.

NotebookLM, once a deep learning experiment, is getting the attention it deserves. This time, Google has delivered what people have been asking for, and a little early. The mobile launch of NotebookLM coincides with the upcoming Google I/O 2025 conference, where you can be sure Google will be focusing on AI.

Kareem Winters

Update 26 May 2025