is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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Google started rolling out its new Gemini voice assistant for its smart speakers two weeks ago and, in a blog post marking the anniversary, the company seems to think everything is going great. It’s even quoting a user who said, “My Google Home just got upgraded with Gemini. It’s actually useful now beyond asking for today’s weather.” That’s some not-so-subtle shade right there.
But dig into the post’s FAQ, and things don’t look so rosy. Two of the most frequently asked questions from those who have the new assistant are:
Gemini for Home voice assistant is not fully understanding my query… (Example: I tried to set an alarm for 5pm but it set it for 5am.)
Gemini for Home voice assistant is not properly controlling my home devices. What should I do?
That’s not great.
Controlling connected devices such as lights and locks, and doing what you ask it to do, are two very basic requirements of a voice assistant in the home. And Gemini will be the new default voice assistant on all Google Home smart speakers and displays, so it really needs to do those two things well.
The Gemini voice assistant won’t be available for everyone until next Spring., when Google launches its new Google Home smart speaker. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
In the vein of Amazon with its Alexa Plus, Gemini is rolling out very slowly to smart speakers. No one at The Verge has it yet, and based on the Google Home subreddit, it’s not arrived for many other users either. Google has indicated it won’t launch for everyone until next spring at the earliest, when its new Google Home smart speaker should arrive.
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