{"id":360134,"date":"2025-08-20T19:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T19:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/360134\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T19:00:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T19:00:14","slug":"google-announces-gemini-for-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/360134\/","title":{"rendered":"Google announces Gemini for Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s finally happening: Google Assistant in the home is getting its Gemini glow-up. \u201cGemini for Home\u201d is an all-new voice assistant for Google Home<\/a>, set to arrive later this year, the company announced today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This new voice assistant, powered by Google\u2019s Gemini artificial intelligence<\/a>, will eventually replace Google Assistant on Google\u2019s Nest smart speakers and displays for hands-free control of things like smart lights, music, setting timers, and answering questions. Rollout begins in October through an early access program, with both free and paid tiers available. Google says you\u2019ll still summon the assistant with \u201cHey Google,\u201d and it will work across all your home devices and for every member of your household, as well as visitors.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s timing here is interesting. While the company has been leading the charge<\/a> in AI on mobile, bringing a smarter, LLM-powered assistant to phones, it\u2019s lagged behind in the home. Amazon\u2019s generative-AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant<\/a> is already in millions of households<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By comparison, Google\u2019s recent Gemini upgrades for the home have felt incremental \u2014 new voices, some more conversational responses<\/a>, AI-powered features for Nest cameras<\/a> and automations, and a Gemini option<\/a> on some speakers. These were all hints at what was coming, but they stopped short of a whole new assistant.<\/p>\n

Gemini for Home is that whole new voice assistant, and it could be one of the most significant changes for Google Home since the launch of its first smart display<\/a> more than six years ago.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

The Nest Hub 2, launched in 2021, was the last hardware upgrade for the Nest line of smart speakers and displays. Photo by Dan Seifert \/ The Verge<\/p>\n

According to a blog post <\/a>by Anish Kattukaran, chief product officer of Google Home and Nest, using Gemini for Home will \u201cfeel fundamentally new.\u201d He says the new voice assistant leverages the \u201cadvanced reasoning, inference and search capabilities<\/a>\u201d of Google\u2019s AI models, along with adaptations for the home that allow for more natural interactions to complete more complex tasks. In short, it should be an assistant that can better understand context, nuance, and intention \u2014 a complete change from its predecessor.<\/p>\n

With the launch of Gemini for Home, the race is now on for the most reliable and capable smart home assistant<\/p>\n

For example, Kattukaran says Gemini for Home can accurately respond to requests like \u201cturn off the lights everywhere except my bedroom,\u201d \u201cplay that song from this year\u2019s summer blockbuster about race cars,\u201d or \u201cset a timer for perfectly blanched broccoli.\u201d It will also create lists, calendar entries, and reminders more easily than before, he says.<\/p>\n

Another big upgrade is that Gemini Live will be part of Gemini for Home, bringing more conversational back-and-forth voice interactions to Google Home without needing to repeatedly say \u201cHey Google.\u201d Kattukaran says this will allow for more detailed and personalized help \u2014 from cooking (\u201cI have spinach, eggs, cream cheese, and smoked salmon in the fridge. Help me make a delicious meal\u201d) to brainstorming how to buy a new car or figuring out how to fix your dishwasher, as well as more creative tasks like generating bedtime stories.<\/p>\n

If this sounds familiar, it should. These are features Alexa Plus offers<\/a>, including better smart home control, more help in the kitchen<\/a>, and fixing household issues. Alexa Plus also has some agentic capabilities<\/a> \u2014 it can use services like Thumbtack and OpenTable for you. With the launch of Gemini for Home, the race is now on for the most reliable and capable smart home voice assistant<\/a> \u2014 and we\u2019re still waiting for the third competitor, Apple, to get on the track.<\/p>\n

Google hasn\u2019t announced pricing for the paid tier of Gemini for Home, but Gemini Live, with its more advanced capabilities, is a likely candidate for a premium plan. Amazon has gone the subscription route with Alexa Plus, bundling it into its Prime subscription. Google may follow suit and bundle it into its Nest Aware or Google One<\/a> plans. It recently increased the price of Nest Aware<\/a> to $10 a month with no major feature upgrades.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s likely we\u2019ll see new Google Nest hardware this fall<\/p>\n

Although Google says Gemini for Home is coming in October, don\u2019t expect it to land everywhere all at once. Google uses its Google Home Public Preview program<\/a> to test its new features, and has gated access for some Gemini features<\/a> in the past, only making them available to select users. A cautious rollout is likely, mirroring Amazon\u2019s approach with Alexa Plus<\/a>. Bringing generative AI into the smart home requires extra caution, especially considering there\u2019s the potential to control critical devices like locks, appliances, and HVAC systems.<\/p>\n

All of this, of course, raises an ongoing question for Google Home: Where is the hardware? Aside from the Pixel Tablet<\/a>, Google hasn\u2019t refreshed its smart speakers or displays<\/a> since 2021. With Gemini for Home being a major upgrade for Google Home, it\u2019s likely that new hardware designed to showcase its capabilities will launch alongside it this fall.<\/p>\n

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