Google has added Video Overviews to its NotebookLM app on Android and iOS, allowing users to generate short AI-produced videos summarizing documents and notes. The update extends NotebookLM’s multimodal capabilities beyond text and audio.
Google is extending the reach of NotebookLM, its AI-powered research and note-taking tool, by bringing Video Overviews to mobile devices. The feature, now rolling out on Android and iOS, allows users to generate short, narrated videos that visually summarize uploaded documents, notes, and sources.
The move signals Google’s growing emphasis on multimodal AI — not just generating text, but transforming information into formats better suited for how people actually consume content on phones.
Until now, Video Overviews had been limited to desktop use. Making them available on mobile positions NotebookLM as more than a research assistant for long-form reading, and more like an on-the-go briefing tool.
Why Google is pushing video summaries
NotebookLM is built around grounding AI outputs in user-provided sources, a key differentiator from general-purpose chatbots. Video Overviews extend that idea by pairing citations with visual explanations, diagrams, and narration.
For Google, this serves two goals at once:
- Reinforcing trust by keeping summaries tied to specific documents
- Adapting AI output to mobile-first consumption habits
Internally, Google has framed NotebookLM as a productivity and learning tool rather than a creative chatbot. Video Overviews fit that positioning by acting as explainer content rather than entertainment.
How it fits Google’s broader AI strategy
The update reflects a broader shift across Google’s AI products toward “ambient understanding” — surfacing insights in the format most useful at a given moment.
On mobile, that increasingly means short video and audio. The same logic has already shaped Google’s work in Search, Maps, and Workspace, where summaries and highlights are replacing long lists of links.
NotebookLM remains a niche product compared with Google Docs or Search, but it has become an important testing ground for how Google blends generative AI with source attribution and productivity workflows.
What comes next
Google has not said whether Video Overviews will support custom styles, lengths, or collaboration features on mobile. But the expansion suggests NotebookLM is moving toward parity across platforms, rather than remaining a desktop-centric research tool.
For students, analysts, and knowledge workers, the update makes it easier to review complex material quickly — without rereading dense source files.
