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

[mshulman]

The "Gemini for Home voice assistant" settings in the Home app do not have a setting for "continued conversation." This feature went away when the assistant changed to Gemini.   One would think the new Gemini assistant would be very good at continued conversation as that is a thing it does in the Gemini app.
Out of habit I still say "Thank you" after I get an answer, but the devices are no longer listening, so even to ask a followup you have to say "Hey Google" again...

[Krunked]

It's there with Gemini live.....

[whattheactualF]

After what you guys did to the Gen1 and Gen2 Thermostats, I will never buy another Google Smarthome product again.  I have 4 thermostats across 3 houses that are all now in need of replacing and I will not be replacing them with Google products.

You lost a loyal customer, and I hope their are many more consumers like me who are NEVER going to support this kind of treachery.   Disgusting.

[Ch22]

Help me turn it on

[henryZ2563]

Haven't seen my update yet, as my Google Assistant becomes less effective by the day. When I have a real question, I go to the room in my house that has Alexa+. I followed the hype on all channels leading up to the Gemini for Home release.. put the date on my calendar in great anticipation. Now, nothing.. So I've ordered an Alexa display to hedge my bets... 

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

@henryZ2563 

It's always worth having both assistants as there's advantages and disadvantages with each system.

[Zareaus]

I upgraded to gemini on my google home phone app and it "upgraded" my nest mini.

Now my nest speaker will no longer play spotify via voice command, the main thing I used it for. 

I have tried rebooting the speaker. I have tired unlinking and relinking my account.

I just want to go back to being able to tell my speaker to play my playlist and have it start playing.

And unfortunately, from what I found I can't go back to home assistant on my speaker because I "upgraded" the home app on my phone to gemini.

[jimscard]

And that’s why I’ll never downgrade to Gemini. Looking very hard at switching to a different ecosystem, one that values privacy and won’t force a cloud AI on us.

[Krunked]

U should just live in a cabin in the woods.

[Yacht_]

Attempting to opt in to Gemini integration through my Google home app leads to a short loading screen and reverts to the previous screen with no resolution and no error message. 

App version: 4.3.56.2

Samsung S24FE on latest software.

[jimscard]

How do I opt-out of Gemini? I never want to use it.

[The_WB]

You can't. It will be forced eventually, early 2026 supposedly. Switching ecosystems might work for a while, but likely they all land on AI at some not so distant point.

[TommyBoy1]

Color wheel breaks the usability of the app. It’s makes it impossible to select dark red. This is causing me to have to take 10 times as long as it took before the stupid color wheel. I can’t use the app as it was designed now.

[Aliqurashi]

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[Aliqurashi]

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@Aliqurashi wrote

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[jn99]

I'm getting ads on YouTube Music Premium when playing through Google Home after the Gemini update. I never got them when using Assistant.

[RoadRunner3]

Hi, I just spent 1hr 15 m on chat.  Hoping with all these new features I can get my Gen 1 cameras, Gen 2 doorbell and thermostat on one app,  with one subscription and was told I can’t.  Which I find hard to believe.  Can you direct me to where to get this solved?  Thanks. 

[Krunked]

you need to buy new stuff.  unfortunately.  the gen 1 cameras are nest. not google.  this has been known for 10 years. 

[RoadRunner3]

Didn’t google know that when they bought nest?  Chat agent tells me they’re “working on it”. Seems like a simple programming fix.  

[Aaroneus]

Chat agents don't know anything about what the company is doing, they can only respond from the FAQ script. "Working on it" is customer service speak for "we acknowledge that it's broken, but we don't know how or care enough to fix it, and we don't respect you enough to tell you the truth... but as long as you have hope maybe you'll stay a customer a little longer." 

[Aaroneus]

No, but seriously, Google Home can't properly shuffle YouTube playlists by voice or routine, can't play to speaker groups via routine, doesn't support proper fade in lights or sounds, can't delete default routines, and basically fails to work a lot.  Gemini is it's own kind of garbage and won't help google home from being a dumpster fire full of digital feces.  Fix the BASIC FUNCTIONALITY first, then tell me about advanced capabilities. 

[The_WB]

I moved all my IOT off of Google Home to Home Assistant long ago. I removed every add on from Google, and removed  all third party accounts. The only function of Google Home now is to send commands to my HA and beep after a timer goes off. HA does all the real work. I will take a look at Gemini Home whenever they decide to bless me with access, but I can pretty easily turn off Google Home and say "done". 

[RoadRunner3]

Yah, the chat agent was pretty useless. What crap system.   

[Rickashe]

I have a Google Home Premium account, a Google TV Streamer and two Gen2 Nest Mini Speakers. None of these devices currently support Gemini. Feels silly paying the subscription for nowt. I do have a Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 9A, Pixel 6 and Pixel Watch 2, but would really like the whole suite. I have been opted into both the preview programs as well as the beta testing for Pixel.

Ireland always lagging behind for some reason.

Thanks

Rick

[Krunked]

you wouldnt buy the subscription then as you wont be able to use gemini live...  whats the non understanding here 

[Rickashe]

Sorry man, I mis represented my train of thought.

I have the subscription, I've had it since it was available, within it it says I currently have no compatible devices. Even though I have a bunch that were announced as compatible. 

To be honest I think.it's just a matter of waiting till the rollout gets to Ireland.

Was just saying it's frustrating that Ireland always seems to be low on the list for rollout processes.

Sorry for misunderstanding 

[AK27]

Great general innovation. For a long time I’ve used a Google home Max and some satellite Google homes for automation including Hue, Govee and some smaller brands. When I attempt to turn on/off these items via the Home device vocal command, it now is unaware of them, even as they are listed. I’ve also reassociated them to try to fix. What’s interesting is that the devices operate as expected (turn off/on) when I access them via the home app using a prompt. It’s very frustrating and seems to coincide with this roll out. 

[AK27]

For clarity, the voice commands work on the iOS Google Home app but not via the Google Home device app. It almost seems like the apps are calling on different logic. A primary function of the Google home hardware now seem broken and primed for displacement w Apple Home or Alexa infra