Google makes biggest change to its smart home product lineup in years, changes the voice that powers these devices

Google is giving its smart home product the biggest update in nearly a decade. The tech giant is replacing the familiar Google Assistant with Gemini for Home. Announcing in a blog post, Google said that this new AI-powered system will not only change the way people talk to their smart speakers and displays, but also improve how devices like cameras, doorbells and the Google Home app work. “Gemini not only replaces the Google Assistant on your smart displays and speakers but upgrades the smarts of devices in your home like your cameras and doorbells as well as in the Google Home app. It’s built to be more conversational, to better understand what’s happening and to make it easier than ever to get things done at home,” the company said.

Google smart home lineup gets new voice

Unlike the older Google Assistant, the company says that Gemini is designed to handle real conversations instead of rigid commands. It remembers context so users don’t have to repeat themselves and can even handle complex requests like, “Turn off all the lights except the office.”




With Gemini, users can:

• Choose from 10 new natural-sounding voices
• Get smarter suggestions for tasks like shopping lists, cooking, or reminders
• Control devices with more flexible and human-like commands

Use new features such as “Gemini Live” for free-flowing chats, “Ask Home” for smarter device control, and “Home Brief” for daily summaries from smart cameras


Google is also upgrading smart cameras to deliver AI-powered alerts that explain what’s actually happening — for example, recognizing a delivery driver dropping a package, instead of just showing a “motion detected” alert.

Availability of Gemini on Google Home lineup

Google says that the rollout begins this month via an early access program available in the Google Home app. While the core upgrade is free for existing devices, advanced features like Gemini Live and AI-powered camera summaries will be part of a new Google Home Premium subscription, starting at $10 per month. New Google Home Premium subscription is also included with Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions at no extra cost.