C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
I consider myself a patient person. I’ll wait for outcomes to unfold when I know I’m doing my best to achieve something, or when I sense life will throw something my way when the stars perfectly align. But in both those scenarios — and everything in between — nowhere does my patience extend to Google and its smart home efforts. Not anymore, at least, after having waited for years, not months.
I got hopeful not too long ago when I saw leaked images of the now-official Google Home Speaker, but its announcement has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent tech history. It may sound like a tall assertion, but the smart home category isn’t like buying a single gadget. It’s an ecosystem you consciously build — multiple pieces working together in a giant connected web. You can’t just toss out one piece and expect everything else to function the same way without friction or a learning curve, if at all.
That kind of investment demands brand trust, awareness, loyalty, and commitment, much like a long-term relationship. And I think when it comes to my relationship with Google Home, it’s time for me to move on.
Would you still wait for Google’s smart home revival? 104 votes Yes, holding out hope 57 % Nope, Alexa it is 17 % Already switched 9 % Never cared 17 %
Putting up with the terrible
Lil Katz / Android Authority
Gemini for Home was supposed to be the lifeline for Google’s line of smart speakers — a lineup that’s been on life support for far too long. Once the industry benchmark, Google Assistant for smart homes slipped to a point where it got beyond frustrating to use, pushing people to the Alexa camp.
I decided to stay put, defying that peer pressure for as long as I could. Google itself recently admitted that Assistant had failed users in several ways and that it had to divert resources toward building Gemini from the ground up instead of doing patchwork on Assistant.
That sounded like the right move; the kind of reassurance that might’ve kept me around longer. But there’s one big problem: Gemini isn’t coming to Google Home speakers where I live.
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