Your Google Home or Nest speaker is about to get a serious upgrade. Google has officially started rolling out the new Gemini for Home voice assistant, a next-generation AI voice assistant built on its powerful Gemini models.
This marks the biggest shift to Google’s smart-home experience in years, replacing the aging Google Assistant with a more intelligent, conversational system designed to handle multi-step requests and natural back-and-forth dialogue.
From smarter lighting routines to real-time camera insights and follow-up questions that actually make sense, Gemini for Home promises to make your home more comfortable and easier to control.
Here’s how to get started — and what key features you should test right away.
What’s new
(Image credit: Google Home)
Gemini for Home brings a major leap in how you interact with your smart devices. You’ll want to start by downloading the app (available for iOS and Android). The new assistant supports more fluid, context-aware conversations, including the ability to ask follow-up questions without repeating “Hey Google” each time. In other words, you’ll notice the chats are more human-like.
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It also handles complex, multi-step requests across your home setup. You can now say something like, “Turn on the TV, dim the lights and set the thermostat to 72 degrees,” and Gemini will process it all in one go.
To match the assistant’s intelligence, Google is also rolling out a redesigned Home app, featuring a faster interface and a cleaner, three-tab layout for easier control, activity tracking and routine building.
The rollout has already begun in early access across the U.S., with wide compatibility extending to most Nest and Google Home speakers and displays released since 2016. Some features will be free, while others, like Gemini Live, will be tied to Google’s new premium subscription tier.
Here’s what to try first with Gemini for Home
(Image credit: Google)
The good news is you don’t even need the speakers to give Gemini for Home a try. The following are a few key features worth testing right away through the app to see just how much smarter your setup has become:
- Start a natural conversation: Say “Hey Google, let’s chat” to launch Gemini Live — a more fluid, real-time back-and-forth experience without needing to repeat the wake word.
- Try a multi-step command: Give Gemini something like, “Play jazz in the living room, lower the blinds halfway and dim the lights to soft orange.” It should handle all three without missing a beat.
- Ask your smart home a question: If you have a compatible Nest Cam, try: “What happened in the driveway around 6 p.m. yesterday?” Gemini can pull camera history and summarize what it sees.
- Build automations using plain language: Instead of tapping through menus, just say or type: “Help me create a night routine — lock the doors, turn off the upstairs lights and set the thermostat to 68.”
- Check if your device is eligible: In the Google Home app, go to Settings > Early Access or look for “Gemini for Home voice assistant” under your device settings to see if the update is available for you.
The takeaway
If you’ve invested in Google Home/Nest hardware, this update could significantly elevate your smart‑home experience. The more natural conversational flow and less fragmented commands could be just what we’ve all been waiting for.
That said, check your device eligibility, watch for which features are free vs paid and take the upgrade for a test‑drive early. Gemini for Home brings smarter AI to your speaker, but as with any AI-powered tech, the real value comes from how you use it.
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