Google Rolls Out New Gemini For Home App

Google is rolling out Gemini for Home, a major revamp of its smart-home stack that replaces Google Assistant on speakers and displays, upgrades cameras with AI scene understanding, and ships a faster, simpler Google Home app with a built-in “Ask Home” chatbot. Early access starts now, with broader availability to follow.

What is “Gemini for Home” (and why Google rebuilt everything)

Gemini for Home is Google’s new, conversational AI layer for the smart home. It’s optimized for shared spaces (kitchens, living rooms) and designed to understand context—the room you’re in, who’s speaking, and the intent behind multi-step, natural-language requests. Under the hood, Google says it rebuilt the Home architecture so large language models (great at free-form conversation) can also behave deterministically for home control (turn this light on, lock that door) without being flaky. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Conversational control without rigid phrasing

  • Natural requests: You don’t need exact device names or formulaic syntax; Gemini infers the target from context (e.g., you’re upstairs but ask to “turn on the kitchen lights”). :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
  • Chained & conditional commands: You can string tasks together (“turn on all the lights except the kitchen, and lock the front door”). :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
  • Richer media queries: Ask for a song by half-remembered lyrics or a scene description. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
  • New voices: Ten more natural voices with improved pacing and intonation make the assistant less robotic. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

“Gemini Live” for hands-free back-and-forth

Say “Hey Google, let’s chat” to enter a continuous conversation that doesn’t require repeating the wake word; you can interrupt, pause, and follow up freely. This immersive mode needs newer hardware and a subscription tier. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

AI cameras, Home Brief, and smarter alerts

Google is pushing cameras beyond “motion/person/package” to descriptive events—think “delivery driver places a box on the porch” or “dog jumps out of the playpen.” You can ask the system questions (“What time did the kids get home?” “Did I leave the car door open?”), and Gemini searches video history conversationally. A new Home Brief summarizes hours of recordings into digestible recaps you can tune (e.g., prioritize pets). These capabilities sit behind the new Google Home Premium – Advanced tier. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

From Nest Aware to Google Home Premium

Google is rebranding Nest Aware to Google Home Premium, with tiers that unlock Gemini-powered camera intelligence and other features. Coverage today points to a Standard tier (~$10/month) and an Advanced tier (~$20/month) for the full AI camera feature set and longer video history. Exact benefits and pricing roll out regionally. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

The Google Home app is redesigned around “Ask Home”

The Home app (Android/iOS) gets a cleaner layout and a prominent Ask Home bar at the top of every screen. You can type or dictate: “turn off the patio lights,” “show the nursery camera,” or “when was the garage opened last?” It doubles as device/automation search. Google also quotes big plumbing wins: faster startup (≈70%), far fewer crashes (≈80%), and better battery/memory use, laying a foundation for steady feature delivery. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

New navigation

  • Three tabs: Home (feeds for Favorites/Devices/Cameras/Lighting/Wi-Fi/Temperature), Activity (alerts from first- and third-party gear, plus Home Brief), and Automations (now with an “Upcoming” carousel and a native editor on Android and iOS). :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
  • Type to automate: Create routines by describing what you want (“At night, if the house is empty, make it look like someone’s home”). Gemini proposes the device logic (lights, TV) automatically. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

Supported devices and rollout

Gemini is coming to every Google/Nest speaker and display since 2016—including the original Google Home, Home Mini/Max, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Wifi point, and more—via an Early Access program starting late October. A new $99 Google Home Speaker is slated for spring 2026 across multiple regions. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

How to join Early Access (today)

  1. Update to Google Home v4.0+ on Android or iOS.
  2. Open the app → tap your profile (top-right).
  3. Go to Home settings → scroll to Early access.
  4. Join and watch for an in-app notification when your turn arrives.

Note: First wave focuses on Ask Home video search and conversational automation; Gemini on speakers/displays follows in the Early Access window. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

Privacy + data handling

9to5Google notes that prompts and responses from at-home voice interactions won’t appear in your Gemini app history. As ever, check the updated Home app disclosures when enabling Ask Home or camera features in your region. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}

Why this matters (bigger than a rename)

Smart homes fail when assistants are brittle. If Google has genuinely closed the gap between conversational “flexibility” and deterministic device control, it reduces the friction that’s kept many users on simple one-shot commands. For buyers, the big test isn’t a keynote demo—it’s whether routines keep working after monthly app/firmware updates and whether camera summaries are accurate enough to trust. That’s the same yardstick we use across AI hardware and assistants in our broader coverage.

For a practical lens on where on-device AI helps (and where bandwidth still wins), see our explainer
GPU vs NPU for local AI workloads and our hype filter
NPUs: the point—or the problem?.

Quick takeaways

  • Assistant → Gemini: Conversational, context-aware control and “Gemini Live” for continuous chat. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
  • Cameras get words, not just boxes: AI-described events, conversational video search, and “Home Brief” recaps (Premium Advanced). :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
  • Home app overhaul: Ask Home bar everywhere, simpler tabs, faster and more reliable. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
  • Rollout: Early Access now → speakers/displays in late October → new Google Home Speaker in spring 2026. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

Sources

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