diff --git a/src/google/adk/models/google_llm.py b/src/google/adk/models/google_llm.py
index 23c9c27810..ee2fe65ec3 100644
--- a/src/google/adk/models/google_llm.py
+++ b/src/google/adk/models/google_llm.py
@@ -19,12 +19,7 @@
 import copy
 from functools import cached_property
 import logging
-from typing import Any
-from typing import AsyncGenerator
-from typing import cast
-from typing import Optional
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-from typing import Union
+from typing import Any, AsyncGenerator, cast, Optional, TYPE_CHECKING, Union
 
 from google.genai import types
 from google.genai.errors import ClientError
@@ -40,6 +35,7 @@
 from .gemini_llm_connection import GeminiLlmConnection
 from .llm_response import LlmResponse
 
+
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
   from google.genai import Client
 
@@ -334,12 +330,23 @@ def _live_api_version(self) -> str:
 
   @cached_property
   def _live_api_client(self) -> Client:
+    import os
+
     from google.genai import Client
 
+    kwargs = {}
+    if os.environ.get('GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI', '').lower() in ('1', 'true'):
+      from google.cloud.aiplatform import initializer
+
+      kwargs['location'] = initializer.global_config.location
+      kwargs['project'] = initializer.global_config.project
     return Client(
+        **kwargs,
         http_options=types.HttpOptions(
-            headers=self._tracking_headers(), api_version=self._live_api_version
-        )
+            headers=self._tracking_headers(),
+            api_version=self._live_api_version,
+            base_url=self.base_url,
+        ),
     )
 
   @contextlib.asynccontextmanager
diff --git a/tests/unittests/models/test_google_llm.py b/tests/unittests/models/test_google_llm.py
index 70aa01b69d..55a43c5c67 100644
--- a/tests/unittests/models/test_google_llm.py
+++ b/tests/unittests/models/test_google_llm.py
@@ -22,14 +22,18 @@
 from google.adk.agents.context_cache_config import ContextCacheConfig
 from google.adk.models.cache_metadata import CacheMetadata
 from google.adk.models.gemini_llm_connection import GeminiLlmConnection
+from google.adk.models.google_llm import (
+    _RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED_POSSIBLE_FIX_MESSAGE,
+)
 from google.adk.models.google_llm import _build_function_declaration_log
 from google.adk.models.google_llm import _build_request_log
-from google.adk.models.google_llm import _RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED_POSSIBLE_FIX_MESSAGE
 from google.adk.models.google_llm import _ResourceExhaustedError
 from google.adk.models.google_llm import Gemini
 from google.adk.models.llm_request import LlmRequest
 from google.adk.models.llm_response import LlmResponse
-from google.adk.utils._client_labels_utils import _AGENT_ENGINE_TELEMETRY_ENV_VARIABLE_NAME
+from google.adk.utils._client_labels_utils import (
+    _AGENT_ENGINE_TELEMETRY_ENV_VARIABLE_NAME,
+)
 from google.adk.utils._client_labels_utils import _AGENT_ENGINE_TELEMETRY_TAG
 from google.adk.utils._google_client_headers import get_tracking_headers
 from google.adk.utils.variant_utils import GoogleLLMVariant
@@ -623,15 +627,15 @@ def test_live_api_version_gemini_api(gemini_llm):
 
 
 def test_live_api_client_properties(gemini_llm):
-  """Test that _live_api_client is properly configured with tracking headers and API version."""
+  """Test that _live_api_client uses v1alpha for Gemini API backend."""
   with mock.patch.object(
-      gemini_llm, "_api_backend", GoogleLLMVariant.VERTEX_AI
+      gemini_llm, "_api_backend", GoogleLLMVariant.GEMINI_API
   ):
     client = gemini_llm._live_api_client
 
-    # Verify that the client has the correct headers and API version
+    # Verify that the client has v1alpha for Gemini API
     http_options = client._api_client._http_options
-    assert http_options.api_version == "v1beta1"
+    assert http_options.api_version == "v1alpha"
 
     # Check that tracking headers are included
     tracking_headers = get_tracking_headers()
@@ -640,6 +644,27 @@ def test_live_api_client_properties(gemini_llm):
       assert value in http_options.headers[key]
 
 
+def test_live_api_client_uses_initializer_location(monkeypatch):
+  """Test that _live_api_client uses location/project from vertexai.init().
+
+  vertexai.init(location=...) writes to google.cloud.aiplatform.initializer.
+  Previously genai.Client() ignored that state and fell back to the
+  GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION env var (defaulting to 'global'), causing native audio
+  models (gemini-live-2.5-flash-native-audio) to fail with WebSocket 1008
+  when the user had called vertexai.init(location='us-central1').
+  """
+  monkeypatch.setenv("GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI", "1")
+  mock_config = mock.MagicMock()
+  mock_config.location = "us-central1"
+  mock_config.project = "my-project"
+  gemini = Gemini(model="gemini-live-2.5-flash-native-audio")
+  with mock.patch(
+      "google.cloud.aiplatform.initializer.global_config", mock_config
+  ):
+    client = gemini._live_api_client
+    assert client._api_client.location == "us-central1"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_connect_with_custom_headers(gemini_llm, llm_request):
   """Test that connect method updates tracking headers and API version when custom headers are provided."""