Google’s smart home efforts were in a sorry state as late as May.
Google touted Gemini AI assistant throughout the entire keynote of its annual I/O developers conference, demonstrating how it would come to permeate every aspect of the search giant’s products—everything from phones and AR glasses to watches and TV.
But Google Home wasn’t mentioned at all, while Google’s Nest smart speakers, displays, and cameras were all but ignored. (Google did have a few scattered smart home announcements later in the conference).
Just as troubling, Google had been discontinuing other Nest products and even withdrawing from some smart home categories from a manufacturing standpoint, all while many Google Home owners were complaining that Google Assistant was faltering at even the most basic smart home duties.
Indeed, things got so bad that Anish Kattukaran, the director of product management for Google Home and Nest, felt compelled to speak up on social media, apologizing for Google Assistant’s spotty performance while promising that his team is “actively working on major improvements.”
Now, roughly a month after Kattukaram’s comments on X, those “major improvements” are coming into focus.
First came more details about the “new experience powered by Gemini” that Google had earlier promised for its smart speakers, including the existing Nest Mini and Nest Audio.
Gemini for Home is coming as an early access preview in October, offering a smarter voice assistant that will (according to Google) better understand our natural-language queries, respond to more complex smart home commands, manage calendars and shopping lists, and engage in “natural back-and-forth discussion” via Gemini Live.
Of course, Google still has lots to prove when it comes to Gemini in the smart home. Early tests of a Gemini-powered assistant on existing Google smart speakers got a lukewarm reception (it’s not clear whether “Gemini for Home” is an iteration on those efforts or an all-new product), and Google has also said there will be both free and paid versions of the new assistant. Which Gemini for Home features will be behind a paywall? Unknown, for now.
Still, Gemini for Home certainly sounds promising, and we’ve also gotten a glimpse at a new Google smart speaker that will house it. Appearing in a promo video during Google’s big Pixel event last week, the small, spherical, and somewhat squished speaker had a light ring around its base, with early leaks indicating that it will pair with the Google TV Streamer and double as a Matter hub.
And while it hasn’t been confirmed, a new slate of Nest security cameras is also said to be on tap, including (according to the leaks) a wired outdoor camera, an indoor cam, and a new Nest doorbell, all with 2K video resolution (up from 1080p video on Google’s current-gen Nest cams).
Google’s smart home refreshes have been a long time in coming. It’s been roughly four years since we’ve seen a new Nest cam arrive, and nearly five years since the last new Nest speaker.
When will these refreshed smart products finally be officially announced? Google hasn’t said for sure, but in past years, it unwrapped its latest smart home wares during a fall hardware event—think anywhere between late September and early October.
So it seems increasingly likely Google Home will see a major resurgence within a matter of weeks, what with the arrival of not just Gemini for Home, but also a new smart speaker, two new Nest cameras, and a new Nest video doorbell, if not more. The new lineup should put to rest fears that Google might simply walk away from the smart home.
But after the unveiling comes the hard part: making Gemini a truly useful part of the Google Home ecosystem, capable not only of back-and-forth banter but also doing the basics, like turning on the right smart light.
This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.
