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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Google just began offering Gemini for Home for early access.
- It’s compatible with most Nest speakers and existing smart home devices.
- You can sign up via the app and be notified when you’re off the waitlist.
Gemini for Home brings the power of generative AI to Google Home users, and it’s finally beginning to roll out for some users on an early access basis. Like Amazon did with Alexa+, Google gave its popular Google Assistant the ability to generate content in response to user questions.
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Until now, Gemini for Home has been – much like the new Siri with generative AI – a promise in the wind. However, Google began rolling out an early access program a few days ago to let Google Home users sign up for an opportunity to test the new voice assistant. If you’ve opened your Google Home app in the past couple of days, you’ve likely seen a pop-up inviting you to sign up for early access.
However, if you haven’t seen a prompt for Gemini for Home in the Google Home app, you can follow these steps to sign up:
How to sign up for Gemini for Home early access
Ensure you have the latest version (4.1) of the Google Home app, then open it and tap on your profile picture to access your account and settings.
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Scroll down and select Home Settings, then tap on Early Access for Gemini for Home features.
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Follow the prompts to sign up for Gemini for Home. Once available, you’ll get a message in the Google Home app letting you know you can access Gemini for Home.
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Follow the prompts to sign up for Gemini for Home. Once available, you’ll get a message in the Google Home app letting you know you can access Gemini for Home.
What is Gemini for Home?
Gemini for Home is Google’s way of upgrading its Google Assistant in the smart home to one that is capable of having more natural conversations. Instead of simply following a single command per prompt or regurgitating canned replies in response to your questions, now your virtual assistant will be able to generate its responses.
Gemini for Home is powered by Google’s large language models (LLMs) and trained on hordes of data, making it capable of answering questions on its own. It also speaks in a more conversational manner instead of the transactional behavior you experience with Google Assistant. This doesn’t mean Gemini is always right — as with any AI assistant, you have to tread carefully and research information to confirm it is correct, since they can give inaccurate responses.
Also: Beware of promptware: How researchers broke into Google Home via Gemini
Will my Nest speaker work with Gemini for Home?
Most existing Nest speakers will work with Gemini for Home, including all those made since 2016. According to Google, these are all the speakers and displays that will support Gemini for Home:
- Google Nest Hub (2nd gen)*
- Google Nest Hub Max*
- Google Nest Hub (1st gen)
- Google Home Max
- Google Nest Mini (2nd gen)*
- Google Home Mini (1st gen)
- Google Nest Audio*
- Google Home
- Google Nest Wifi point
*Will also support Gemini Live with a Google Home Premium subscription.
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What devices are compatible with Gemini for Home?
Aside from most existing Google speakers and displays, Gemini for Home is compatible with all generations of Nest cameras and doorbells released since 2015, as well as the new onn camera and doorbells released as Walmart exclusives.
Is Gemini for Home available without a subscription?
Yes, Gemini for Home is available without a subscription. If you don’t sign up for the Google Home plan, you can still upgrade Google Assistant to Gemini for Home and use Ask Home for quick searches, do simple device queries like asking which lights are off, and control devices in real-time with more intuitive prompts.
Also: The best Alexa devices: After testing dozens of them, these are worth your time
Google changed its Nest Aware subscriptions to Google Home Premium, which is available in two plans. A standard plan gives you all the free features, plus Gemini Live, the ability to create automations using natural language, 30 days of event history, and intelligent alerts for your compatible security cameras. An advanced plan includes all of this and AI event descriptions, AI-generated notifications, Home Brief, Ask Home to search video history, 60 days of video events, and 10 days of 24/7 video history.
What can Gemini for Home do?
Gemini for Home lets you speak more naturally with your virtual assistant, but it can also handle more complex commands than before. If you’re familiar with AI chatbots, think of Gemini for Home like asking ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini itself to control your smart home. These bots are far more capable of handling context, nuances, and complex requests than standard smart home assistants, and so will Gemini for Home.
Aside from smart home requests and simple questions, here are some things you’ll be able to ask Gemini for Home:
- Hey Google, were any packages delivered this morning?
- Hey Google, lock all the doors and turn on the living room lights.
- Hey Google, dim the lights and turn them off in 15 minutes.
- Hey Google, who sings this song?
- Hey Google, how do I use real-time translation on my Pixel Buds?
How do I know if I already have Gemini for Home?
If you’re not sure if you already have Gemini for Home, you can simply ask “OK Google, who are you?” Your voice assistant will sound different from the Google Assistant if you have Gemini for Home, so you’ll hear a more natural-sounding voice.
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Is there a new Google Nest speaker?
Google is releasing a new Google Home Speaker, no longer called Nest, in the Spring of 2026. It will be priced at $99 and be available in four colors.
Is Gemini for Home permanently replacing Google Assistant?
It appears that Gemini for Home will eventually replace Google Assistant, though we’re not there yet. Google says that Gemini for Home will become the standard “Hey Google” smart home voice assistant at no extra cost, and that once you upgrade to Gemini for Home, you can’t go back to Google Assistant. For now, upgrading to Gemini for Home from Google Assistant is an option, not a mandatory update.
Is Gemini for Home better than Alexa+?
If you’ve already tried Alexa+, this is going to be one of the best ways to challenge the virtual assistant and see how they compare. As of right now, Google and Alexa are the only mainstream smart home voice assistants available with generative AI, even if they’re both in their respective early access phase. Apple has again fallen behind in the AI arms race, as the improved gen AI-powered Siri continues to meet delays in its release.
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I can’t say whether Gemini for Home is better than Alexa+ since I have yet to test Google’s upgraded voice assistant in my smart home setup, but I can at least say this: The fact that Google is rolling it out with plans to replace Google Assistant at no extra cost is promising. Alexa+, in turn, costs $20, though it is included with a Prime membership.
Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
