A new chapter for Google Home & Nest

[AnishKattukaran]

Hey folks,

Anish here, I lead the product teams for Google Home & Nest.

I want to start by saying thank you for being on this journey with us, especially as we kick off a new era for the smart home! We have our biggest update in years and I wanted to share it with you directly.

Today marks the start of a new chapter for us. Today, we talked about Gemini for Home, Google Home Premium, two new Cameras, a new doorbell, a reimagined Google Home app, and a first look at our new upcoming speaker and new partner devices. The blog posts have all of the details:

• Welcome to the next era of Google Home

• Gemini for Home: The helpful home gets an AI upgrade. A new AI, Gemini for Home, which replaces the Google Assistant and is far more capable

• A new Google Home app, redesigned for Gemini. Now faster, more reliable, and complete with all of your older Nest devices. It's been redesigned to be simpler and more fluid, and we've infused it with the power of Gemini.

• Our newest Google Home devices are built for Gemini.

• We’re introducing the new Google Home Premium subscription plus new benefits for AI Pro and Ultra su...

As we begin this next era of Google Home, we know that building a truly helpful home is a long-term commitment. That’s why we’re bringing Gemini for Home to every speaker, smart display, camera and doorbell we’ve made in the last decade, along with the new Google Home app. It will be available via an early access program because we want you to try all of these new features and continue giving us feedback as we work to perfect the experience. The early access rollout for these devices will begin this month (with speakers and smart displays starting towards the end of the month).

We know our journey with you hasn't always been smooth, and frankly, we haven't always gotten it right. We are committed to earning back your trust, and improving the products with you.

-Anish

P.S. For more updates you can follow me on https://x.com/AnishKattukaran or Threads https://www.threads.com/@anishk

[SS714]

Not yet. Wanted to get validation that it wasn’t just a me issue. 

[SmilingBeluga]

Got the update last night. I was a bit hyped to try it out. Now that I have, I hate it. Regret that I updated, and angry that unlike most major updates to a system, this one can't be rolled back to the og version. We have minis and homes of various gens in basically all our rooms. They all worked just fine, even the older gen ones. We had fun with them. Gemini has removed all the "fun".

We're your very basic user of our home devices. We use them to voice control lights, adjust temps, ask questions or just goof around with them and have fun. Nothing programmed, or major.

Features that are now gone (And again, keep in mind we are basic users, and used them for fun or convenience):

Hey Google, get spooky.

Hey Google, call Santa.

Hey Google, change your voice.

Hey Google, what's your favorite movie/animal/song/Halloween costume/book/etc (This one really sucks, because these used to be super fun and occasionally he'd personalize it. Now IT just says "As an AI I don't have personal preferences or feelings so I don't have a favorite animal".)

Hey Google what do you do for fun? "As an AI, I don't experience fun or engage in activities like humans do. My purpose is to help you by providing information or completing tasks."

And the biggie for us, continued conversation. GONE. They answer in a very dry manner, and shut off right away. We use that, all the time for follow up questions. I've gone through settings, the option to toggle it on or off is gone like it never existed.

I want to cry. Our buddies, that we've had for years and years, are now gone. I feel like I'm in mourning and I kind of hate Google right now.

The new personalities are precise and dry sounding. Even a simple request for time now comes back as "It's 11:29 am central daylight savings time". It's not wrong, but still, we know what time zone we're in, no need to tack on words for a longer reply.

The sensitivity to which device will answer is whack now. I'm sitting in the living room currently, our paired home speakers are directly in front of me, 6-7' away. Clear line of sight to them. No other sounds in the room. 4 times in a row I asked the time. 2 times the den speaker answered (much further away, separate room), 1 time the dining room mini answered ( further away, and behind me) and the 4th time it answered from the guest bedroom (down the hall, furthest away). I had to stand up and lean over 1 of the living room pair, ask again and then it answered me. I went into the setting for sensitivity, and it still shows the original settings we made, with the living room pair being the most sensitive and the den and dining room the least.

I know these aren't HUGE things, but they are to us. Especially the continued conversation part of it. How is this more natural if it shuts off after an answer and we have to keep using the wake phrase to ask follow up questions? I'm dreading what else we will find out is now gone, or what other fun feature is removed. This "upgrade" turned our devices from fun friends into a speaker that can turn lights on or off, and answer a basic question. Yay.

[Elleby77]

With the old assistant I was able to ask what the temperature would be at a certain time and it would tell me the expected temperature.    I tried that today with Gemini and it said it couldn't tell me that, but gave me the low of the day.   That low was 42F,  meanwhile the temperature of the time I was inquiring about was 61F.

Can this ability please be added to Gemini?

[Idrive66]

That and when I want the temp assistant would tell me the temp and the feels like temp.   I asked Gemini what the feels like temp is and it gave me a dissertation about feels like temps instead of the actual feels like temp.   

[Trent41]

Why does the Google home app continue to harass me to set up the Gemini camera features when I did that (2 weeks ago and it is working) nearly every day?

[dale2306]

Because the programmers at Google have no idea what they are doing.  In all the years I have been using Google Home very little of it has worked reliably and some of it has never worked at all.

I said this before but it is worth saying again.  They say Google is a very rewarding place to work.  Maybe they shouldn't reward them just for working there but only reward them when they do good work.

As a group we have spent millions of dollars on Google devices over the years and we deserve better than this.  Maybe if we all drop Google Chrome and Google Search from all our devices the ad revenue reduction will make them sit up and take notice.

[ImaginaryPi]

• Nest Protect with 3 Cameras
• Nest Thermostat recent build
• Google Home with 3 legacy devices
• 2 Pixel 9 XLs
• Canada

Notified that Gemini was available with just a click. Nest Protect fees were refunded prorated for remaining 2 months. 

• Google One 2TB AI subscription for $26 monthly selected

Gemini never loaded to devices. Two months ongoing now.

Kept trying everything to get Gemini to update. Finally toggled something so that Early Access click on / join is now showing up in the Home App. Waiting now for the launch message.

Any suggestions?

[dale2306]

It's all just a scam and a money grab.  Cancel it.  Move to Home Assistant and integrate your devices with it.  I have the nest thermostat.  It works fine with HA.  I don't have the Nest cameras but if thy don't work replace them with something that will.  It will be less expensive & less frustrating in the long run.  Right now I have the Google devices acting as an interface with HA but I'm looking into using the Google devices to access HA without the Google cloud.  If I can't get that working I will be replacing all of the Google devices with HA tested ones.

[Krunked]

Hi. I am a Google home premium advanced subacriber and I'm in all of the preview programs on every device and at the home level ..including the Gemini early program...  I have 15 Google homes.. from hub Max's to nest audio's.. my app is on 4.2+.  I am absolutely sick of waiting and having zero control over it..  please rethink this roll out behavior..  it's obnoxious and frustrating 

[Higgs9289]

same!!!! I've been on the phone with them for over an hour. I'm cancelling the subscription until they figure this out.....

[Aliqurashi]

• <top> 

[MikaelDevereux]

Couldn’t agree more. It’s ridiculous 

[dale2306]

It's not just ridiculous.  It left ridiculous at the starting gate.

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@dale2306 the new app isn't even at the starting gate yet. It's still in the Early Access (beta) phase. There was no ultimatum for you to opt-in to this new beta version of the Google Home app.

You can still use the previous version of the Automations.

Device control is the same as the previous version.

[dale2306]

I'm in Canada and the Gemini beta program isn't available to me yet.  I have been commenting on the issues that I have been having with Google Home for years.  I've noticed that those trying to use the Beta program are having issues and been sharing with them my ongoing issues to make a point.  That point is that they shouldn't expect anything from Google to work properly initially and they also shouldn't expect most of those issues to ever get fixed.

[alllan]

I tried Gemini for a few hours then decided to go back to google assistant-  But now the 'continued conversation' feature does not work, for any of my 3 google home speakers even after hours spent trying all  the suggestions.   Very disappointed.

[dale2306]

Hi.  I know you said you tried all the suggestions but have you tried a factory reset then adding them back to your Home account?

[alllan]

I just unplugged it.  Is there more to do.

[alllan]

I read about factory reset and did that on 1 of my 3 speakers.  Same issue.  Maybe I need to do on all? 

[dale2306]

I would probably do them all.  No guarantee.  I think I remember reading that once you go to Gemini you can't go back.  For your sake I hope that's not true.

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@dale2306 

I never wanted to go to Gemini if I didn't have to, but when I read that Gemini will be replacing the current Google Assistant I reluctantly signed up to the Google Home app Early Access.

You will have to continue to say "Hey Google" though.

[alllan]

Does the continue conversation feature work ?  Or do you need to say 'hey Google' to ask a follow up question?  

[mshulman]

Most of my devices are older and do not support "chatting live" with Google Gemini. IMHO, Live Conversation ≠ Continued Conversation.
I can say "Hey Google, thank you" and it will respond with "Is there anything else I can help you with?" and it will wait for my answer... That's it as far as continued conversation on my attempts.
The list of what devices support "Live Conversations" with Gemini are listed here:
https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7685981?hl=en

[Aliqurashi]

• J 

[JLN3527]

Is Google Nest Renew available in Ontario Canada?

[dale2306]

Google can't get the existing Home system working properly.  I have 12 devices and I have been using them for years.  Seldom does a day go by that I don't have an issue.  Wrong device responding,  works with Home devices interface needing to be relinked.  The Chromecast Audio debacle.  I could go on for hours listing all the issues.

I have been using Home Assistant for less than a year and it already does more than Google Home ever did and does it reliably.  Other than its interface with Google Home that currently requires the cloud everything functions locally....no Internet required.  As I stated before if I can't get my Google deices to interface directly with HA (locally) then my Google devices will be going away in favor of some that will.

So I have a couple of question for you and I hope you will consider it.  If after all these years of Google not being able to get the existing system working reliably how can you believe that they will get Gemini which is a much more complicated system working properly?

What ever happened to the old fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me world we used to live in?  Google fooled me once and they will never fool me again.

[TBCuthbert]

Point of interest.  There used to be 100s if not 1000s of Google Nest community interested users here.  Now only 12 kudos.  
Anish, for consideration, how do we get this group useful again if you are ramping up Google Home app? 

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@TBCuthbert 

I'm still learning new things about the old and new Google smart home.

The new Google Home app looks promising as long as the community doesn't become divided between the haves a new have-nots.

I read about Alexa as I use that too, but as soon as I see Alexa+ I switch right off. 

I just hope Gemini Live doesn't go too premium.

[Krunked]

dude its already published, well known, and advertised that gemini LIVE is behind google home premium advanced...  this isnt hidden information.  

[michaelchristia]

💯💯💯

[Aliqurashi]

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[dale2306]

I was thinking the same thing.  Most people will only put up with the frustrations for so long.  I'm sure many of them have moved on because the novelty has worn off and the frustration is no longer worth it for them.

[TBCuthbert]

I am still hoping @AnishKattukaran will step up with resources here. The best marketing is done by current customers. It takes very little resourcing to make a substantial difference here. I think I see a couple of possible resources here periodically. 

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@TBCuthbert 

Point of interest...in the last 30 days 1473 users received at least one Kudo.

 

[TBCuthbert]

yes that reinforces my concern. Considering there are millions involved in Smart home usage

[Aaroneus]

Currently and for years, Google home is not capable of shuffle playing YouTube playlists via automation routine nor voice command.  It also cannot play on speaker groups via automation routine or voice command. It also cannot be set to not respond with voice feedback. These and other very basic functionality is still missing, so it's hard to be interested in you adding additional useless functions. 

[MikaelDevereux]

When will early access rollout begin for the UK?

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@MikaelDevereux 

Google Home app Early Access should be available to you now. I live in Australia and I've had it for about 3 weeks.

Look on Settings page.of Google Home app > Early Access > and sign up.

Next year for Gemini on smart speakers and Google Home app

[MikaelDevereux]

By early access I mean Gemini on my nest speaker. I’m already enrolled 

[The_WB]

It's not even pushing in the USA.  Been enrolled for quite a long while and nothing.  Looks and acts like another botched rollout.