Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR Google is finally bringing Gemini to Home devices.
Users will be able to pick from 10 natural-sounding voices.
When you want Gemini to control your smart home, you won’t have to remember exact device names or phrases.
Google has been working on replacing Assistant with Gemini wherever it can. While we’ve seen Assistant gradually disappear on other products, smart home owners have been patiently waiting for Google’s AI to finally make its way onto their smart home devices. It’s been a long time coming, but the swap-out is finally rolling out to Google Home.
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Today, Google is introducing Gemini for Home, which will upgrade your smart speakers, displays, doorbells, and cameras with AI. This will eliminate Assistant’s rigid functionality and replace it with Gemini’s more flexible capabilities. Additionally, Google says you’ll be able to choose from 10 natural-sounding voices to converse with.
More natural conversations with Gemini
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Just like with Gemini Live on your phone, Gemini for Home will maintain conversational context. This means you won’t have to repeat requests over and over. Instead, the AI is able to understand when you’re still talking about the same topic. For example, you could ask why your dishwasher isn’t draining. Then you could follow up that question with “Hey Google, the filter looks good, what should I check next?” Gemini will know that you’re still talking about your dishwasher.
Google is also making conversations more free-flowing with Gemini Live. You can simply say “Hey Google, let’s chat” to open a continuous conversation with Gemini Live. Once in this mode, the hotword disappears, and you can pause, interrupt, or follow up naturally, making it feel more like talking to a person than a voice assistant.
Smarter media and smart home control
Google
Google says it has focused on perfecting the main ways people use Home. This includes media, household coordination, and smart home control. For example, where Assistant required you to remember exact device names or phrases, that’s not necessary with Gemini. Simply saying something like “Hey Google, I’m about to cook, can you turn on the lights?” is enough for the AI to know to turn on the kitchen lights.
Beyond simple commands, you can now issue more nuanced instructions to Gemini, like “Turn on all the lights except for the kitchen lights, and lock the front door.” You can also create automations just by describing them. For example, say “Create an automation to turn on the porch lights and lock the front door every day at sunset,” and Gemini will set it up.
Improved alerts, Home Brief, and smarter search
Gemini for Home is also bringing big improvements to camera alerts. Until now, camera alerts have been pretty basic, like “motion detected,” “person detected,” “package detected.” With Gemini, Google says alerts will gain semantic understanding. So instead of just telling you a “package” was spotted, Gemini will be able to better interpret what’s happening and provide alerts such as “a delivery driver is placing a package on the porch.”
Google says users will notice three key improvements: AI-generated descriptions and context for notifications.
Summaries of various moments of the day with the new Home Brief feature.
Improved search with Ask Home that lets you search your video history by asking questions in natural language. Lastly, Gemini will let you gain newer insights about your home. For instance, you can ask things like, “How long was my TV on last weekend?” or “Did the AC run a lot last week?” The rollout of Gemini for Home is starting as part of an early access program. The program is scheduled to begin this month, but Google notes that you’ll have to wait until the end of the month for early access to come to smart speakers and displays. To sign up, you’ll need to open the Google app (version 4.0 or higher), click on your profile icon, tap on Home Settings, scroll down, and select “Early Access.” You’ll see a notification in the app when it’s available to try.
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