Manage sessions for the Live API

The Gemini Live API processes continuous streams of audio or text called sessions. You can manage the session lifecycle, from the initial handshake to graceful termination.

Limits for sessions

For the Live API, a session refers to a persistent connection where input and output are streamed continuously over the same connection.

If the session exceeds any of the following limits, the connection is terminated.

  • Connection length is limited to around 10 minutes.

  • Session length depends on the input modalities:

    • Audio-only input sessions are limited to 15 minutes.
    • Video + audio input are limited to 2 minutes.

  • Session context window is limited to 128k tokens.

You'll receive a going away notification before the connection ends, allowing you to take further actions.

Start a session

Visit the getting started guide for the Live API for a full snippet showing how to start a session.

Update mid-session

The Live API models support the following advanced capabilities for mid-session updates:

Add incremental content updates

You can add incremental updates during an active session. Use this to send text input, establish session context, or restore session context.

  • For longer contexts, we recommend providing a single message summary to free up the context window for subsequent interactions.

  • For short contexts, you can send turn-by-turn interactions to represent the exact sequence of events, like the snippet below.

Swift 

// Define initial turns (history/context).
let turns: [ModelContent] = [
  ModelContent(role: "user", parts: [TextPart("What is the capital of France?")]),
  ModelContent(role: "model", parts: [TextPart("Paris")]),
]

// Send history, keeping the conversational turn OPEN (false).
await session.sendContent(turns, turnComplete: false)

// Define the new user query.
let newTurn: [ModelContent] = [
  ModelContent(role: "user", parts: [TextPart("What is the capital of Germany?")]),
]

// Send the final query, CLOSING the turn (true) to trigger the model response.
await session.sendContent(newTurn, turnComplete: true)

Kotlin 

Not yet supported for Android apps - check back soon!

Java 

Not yet supported for Android apps - check back soon!

Web 

const turns = [{ text: "Hello from the user!" }];

await session.send(
  turns,
  false // turnComplete: false
);

console.log("Sent history. Waiting for next input...");

// Define the new user query.
const newTurn [{ text: "And what is the capital of Germany?" }];

// Send the final query, CLOSING the turn (true) to trigger the model response.
await session.send(
    newTurn,
    true // turnComplete: true
);
console.log("Sent final query. Model response expected now.");

Dart 

// Define initial turns (history/context).
final List turns = [
  Content(
    "user",
    [Part.text("What is the capital of France?")],
  ),
  Content(
    "model",
    [Part.text("Paris")],
  ),
];

// Send history, keeping the conversational turn OPEN (false).
await session.send(
  input: turns,
  turnComplete: false,
);

// Define the new user query.
final List newTurn = [
  Content(
    "user",
    [Part.text("What is the capital of Germany?")],
  ),
];

// Send the final query, CLOSING the turn (true) to trigger the model response.
await session.send(
  input: newTurn,
  turnComplete: true,
);

Unity 

// Define initial turns (history/context).
List turns = new List {
    new ModelContent("user", new ModelContent.TextPart("What is the capital of France?") ),
    new ModelContent("model", new ModelContent.TextPart("Paris") ),
};

// Send history, keeping the conversational turn OPEN (false).
foreach (ModelContent turn in turns)
{
    await session.SendAsync(
        content: turn,
        turnComplete: false
    );
}

// Define the new user query.
ModelContent newTurn = ModelContent.Text("What is the capital of Germany?");

// Send the final query, CLOSING the turn (true) to trigger the model response.
await session.SendAsync(
    content: newTurn,
    turnComplete: true
);

Update system instructions mid-session

Only available when using the Vertex AI Gemini API as your API provider.

You can update the system instructions during an active session. Use this to adapt the model's responses, for example to change the response language or modify the tone.

To update the system instructions mid-session, you can send text content with the system role. The updated system instructions will remain in effect for the remainder of the session.

Swift 

await session.sendContent(
  [ModelContent(
    role: "system",
    parts: [TextPart("new system instruction")]
  )],
  turnComplete: false
)

Kotlin 

Not yet supported for Android apps - check back soon!

Java 

Not yet supported for Android apps - check back soon!

Web 

Not yet supported for Web apps - check back soon!

Dart 

try {
  await _session.send(
    input: Content(
      'system',
      [Part.text('new system instruction')],
    ),
    turnComplete: false,
  );
} catch (e) {
  print('Failed to update system instructions: $e');
}

Unity 

try
{
    await session.SendAsync(
        content: new ModelContent(
            "system",
            new ModelContent.TextPart("new system instruction")
        ),
        turnComplete: false
    );
}
catch (Exception e)
{
    Debug.LogError($"Failed to update system instructions: {e.Message}");
}

Detect when a session is going to end

A going away notification is sent to the client 60 seconds before the session ends, allowing you to take further actions.

The following example shows how to detect an impending session termination by listening for a going away notification:

Swift 

for try await response in session.responses {
  switch response.payload {

  case .goingAwayNotice(let goingAwayNotice):
    // Prepare for the session to close soon
    if let timeLeft = goingAwayNotice.timeLeft {
        print("Server going away in \(timeLeft) seconds")
    }
  }
}

Kotlin 

for (response in session.responses) {
    when (val message = response.payload) {
        is LiveServerGoAway -> {
            // Prepare for the session to close soon
            val remaining = message.timeLeft
            logger.info("Server going away in $remaining")
        }
    }
}

Java 

session.getResponses().forEach(response -> {
    if (response.getPayload() instanceof LiveServerResponse.GoingAwayNotice) {
        LiveServerResponse.GoingAwayNotice notice = (LiveServerResponse.GoingAwayNotice) response.getPayload();
        // Prepare for the session to close soon
        Duration timeLeft = notice.getTimeLeft();
    }
});

Web 

for await (const message of session.receive()) {
  switch (message.type) {

  ...
  case "goingAwayNotice":
    console.log("Server going away. Time left:", message.timeLeft);
    break;
  }
}

Dart 

Future _handleLiveServerMessage(LiveServerResponse response) async {
  final message = response.message;
  if (message is GoingAwayNotice) {
     // Prepare for the session to close soon
     developer.log('Server going away. Time left: ${message.timeLeft}');
  }
}

Unity 

foreach (var response in session.Responses) {
    if (response.Payload is LiveSessionGoingAway notice) {
        // Prepare for the session to close soon
        TimeSpan timeLeft = notice.TimeLeft;
        Debug.Log($"Server going away notice received. Remaining: {timeLeft}");
    }
}