Google renames NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook, keeps app standalone
Google folded NotebookLM into the Gemini brand, but the research app stays standalone as its notebooks link more closely to Search and Gemini.
Google renamed NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook and said the app would remain standalone even as it integrates more deeply across Gemini and Google Search. The move gives one of Google’s most recognizable AI note-taking tools a new identity while keeping the product separate from the main Gemini app.
The rename fits a pattern Google has been building for more than two years. The company first revealed Project Tailwind in May 2023, then officially introduced NotebookLM on July 12, 2023 as an AI notebook designed to help people organize and interact with their own documents and notes. Google later positioned NotebookLM as an AI research and learning assistant tool, and it publicly launched in the United States in 2023.
Since then, Google has steadily pushed the product beyond the browser. It launched standalone NotebookLM apps for Android and iOS in May 2025, giving users mobile access to the same document-centered workflow. Before that, on December 13, 2024, Google announced NotebookLM Plus, a premium tier that added higher limits and more features through Google AI Plans.
The branding shift now places NotebookLM more squarely inside Google’s Gemini family. Google introduced notebooks in the Gemini app on April 8, 2026, describing them as a way for users to keep track of projects while connecting notebooks more closely across its AI products. That same direction shows up in how Google has described NotebookLM’s newer capabilities, including audio interactivity, video overviews and deeper research assistance.
For users, the practical change is less about losing the app than about where it sits in Google’s AI stack. NotebookLM remains a distinct product focused on research and note-taking, but the Gemini Notebook name signals tighter integration with Gemini and Search, the two places Google is trying to make its AI tools feel most central.
The rebrand also reflects Google’s broader effort to reduce fragmentation in its AI lineup. By moving NotebookLM under the Gemini umbrella while preserving it as a standalone app, Google is making a clear bet that familiar branding will matter as much as feature growth in the race to define consumer AI.
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