Gemini can use Notebook on its own, on by default outside the EEA
Google made Gemini Notebook a Connected App in the Gemini app. Users can call it with @Gemini Notebook, and Gemini can pick it up automatically.
Google made Gemini Notebook a Connected App in the Gemini app, so users can create notebooks, add sources and save notes from a chat, and Gemini can decide on its own when to use it.
Google announced the change Oct. 23, 2026 in a Google Workspace Updates post. It is available now for Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains.
Users Call Notebook With an @ Mention
A user types @Gemini Notebook in a chat to create notebooks, add sources, save notes or retrieve information from existing notebooks. Gemini can also detect when a prompt calls for the app and use it automatically, Google said.
The Feature Is on by Default Except in the EEA
The feature is on by default globally. In the European Economic Area it is off by default. Users manage it under Settings > Connected Apps in the Gemini app.
It is available to all Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers and users with personal Google accounts.
Admins Control Access Through Two Settings
The Connected App is on by default for admins’ organizations. Admins control access through the Gemini and Gemini Notebook access settings. Users can use the app only if they belong to a group or organizational unit where both Gemini and Gemini Notebook are on.
Our View
Because Notebook can create notebooks, add sources and save notes, a user who never types the @ mention can still have Gemini act on a notebook after an ordinary request. We think that saves typing, since a plain sentence does the work of a command. A user who would rather keep Gemini out of notebooks has to find Settings > Connected Apps in the Gemini app and switch the feature off, because outside the EEA the default is on.
Admins have a parallel job. With the app on by default, everyone in a group where both settings are on gets the automatic behavior without anyone choosing it. An admin who wants a team left out has to switch off Gemini or Gemini Notebook for that group or organizational unit.
The shortcut pays off only for users who want Gemini acting on their notebooks and admins who have set each group the way they intend.