Tech Advisor

Gemini for Home users are getting new features

Google Home just became a lot more aware with its latest Gemini-flavoured upgrade. Back in October, we reported on Google’s move to replace its Assistant with Gemini right across its Nest product line . It’s still technically in Early Access, but frequent updates are making it quite the smart home assistant. Among other things, this tool enabled Nest cameras to recognise what was happening in your home, such as picking up on broken glass or identifying who (or what) is at your door. The company’s spring update (a bit like a Pixel Drop) adds the ability for the company’s Gemini AI assistant to trigger smart home automations based on what it sees through your smart home cameras. You can set these triggers up using natural language prompts. Google uses the example of instructing Google Home to notify you when it sees an orange cat at the door, or to turn off all the lights and fans when it notices your car leaving the driveway. Google Google Home updates Away from this deeper camera implementation, Google Home’s big May update adds a bunch of new features . You can now chain more requests together: “Tell Gemini to lower the blinds, dim the lights, set a 20-minute timer, and start your favourite podcast, all with a single command,” is the example supplied. It’s also improved comprehension when using casual language, as well as the speed of its response times and the all-round reliability of what it has to offer. Less impressively – but potentially just as useful – Gemini should be less prone to stopping your background music playback when you instruct it to stop a response. Talking of music playback, Google claims to have restored the ability to use Apple Music with its smart devices, while the Bluetooth device pairing process has also improved. Gemini for Home is available, in Early Access, in 19 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and much of Europe. What we really want now is a release date for the Google Home Speaker (due Spring 2026 – aka now) and for the firm to announce a new smart display to go with it.