New Google home automation inefficiency

[PNH]

Subject: URGENT: New Automation Editor is Highly Inefficient for Light Fixture Control

The new visual automation editor has major deficiencies that make simple, common tasks extremely tedious. The visual editor should simplify and make efficient commonly encountered automations among our users. Currently it falls short on this objective.

1. Forced Single-Parameter Actions: The app forces me to create separate, distinct actions for ON/OFF, BRIGHTNESS, and COLOR.

2. Poor Light Group/Fixture Handling: The app cannot logically target a user-created light fixture group (like "Overhead Light") and apply all commands at once.

Resulting Inefficiency:

A standard task (Turn ON, set Brightness to 50%, set Color to Yellow) for a single light fixture with 4 bulbs currently requires 12 separate, redundant steps in the visual editor. This defeats the purpose of a non-script interface.

Requested Fix:

Please add the ability to select all available parameters (ON/OFF, BRIGHTNESS, and COLOR/TEMP) in a single action block when controlling a light group or device, restoring efficiency for common household

setups.

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

You can still use the old version.

Search "Assistant Settings" on your phone and scroll down to Routines.

There are a lot of features that aren't yet available that were on the previous version, but as this is an Early Access (beta) version that we opted into you have to expect feature deficiencies.

[PNH]

I don't really want to exit gemini and go back that far even if gemini inside google home is broken. If you are outside the USA, which I am, you get the new interface, but a half baked gemini within google home. This is far worse than any beta I have ever expereinced in all my participation in any early access program. This is just one of many problems and regressions in the latest public preview which make this seem like an alpha not a beta. Many things that worked in beta up until a few weeks ago are now broken. I am exiting public preview, we shall see what happens. This alpha version, something works at 3pm then fails at 5 pm. To be blunt, my confidence in google is also broken, easpecially on google home. I have begun to seek alternatives in any aspect of the ecosystem I can. Beta is one thing, inadequately tested alpha is an abuse, Especially after the years of neglect on google home which is well established by now.

[SmartHomeH-TAGS]

• As you are living outside the USA it's more than likely that you haven't got Gemini in the Google Home app or on your smart speakers.
  https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Blog/Rollout-begins-an-all-new-more-powerful-assistant-for-yo...
• Gemini for the rest of the world is likely to happen in 2026.
• Early Access in the Google Home app is a different thing to the Public Preview program.
  https://9to5google.com/2025/10/03/gemini-for-home-questions-answers/

[PNH]

The assistant on my Google Pixel 9 pro is Gemini. I don't know exactly how that impacts Google home in the public preview or the current version as Google is often opaque about these things. My understanding was that it had at least some experimental effects and it indeed appeared to be somewhat more context sensitive, though erratically and inconsistently. It takes a deeper dive to determine the precise details. I know my speakers did Flash the rainbow colored lights lights which Google says indicate that the speaker has detected the Hey Google phrase under the new Gemini assistant regime. I have not seen any of the other new light combinations. But what I do know is since Gemini was released in the United States. Experience with Google home, which already fit into the category of generally not very good. As I said earlier, the deterioration over the last few years is well documented in the community and has been acknowledged by Google including statements back in July from Anish Kattukaran, Chief Product Officer at Google Home and Nest.  Since the official launch of Gemini in the United States and the announced delays on the new Google speaker, it has become much worse. For me, intolerably worse.  In fact, without a lot of resetting, name changing and disconnect and reconnect of third parties, it had become unusable . The launch may only be in the US for Gemini, but the effects would appear to be worldwide. 

Finally, the app did change in my country significantly after the launch in the US. It appears the app may be somehow now Gemini ready but not receiving Gemini. Who knows? I do not.