GOOGLE has upgraded its virtual Gemini assistant for your home – and you can ask it to fix the dishwasher, find out when your kids went to sleep, and even whether you left the car door open.
The new Gemini for Home launches alongside three new “smart” gadgets, including a brainy Google Home Speaker and a pair of connected cameras.
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Gemini is the Alexa- or Siri-style digital assistant that comes on Android phones as standard.
But you can also access the AI helper on your iPhone, or your computer.
And now Google is upgrading its array of smart speakers, cameras, and doorbells to now work with Gemini instead of the old Google Assistant – and calling it Gemini for Home.
According to Google, you’ll be able to chat with the upgraded AI in a much more natural and human way.
“For years, you’ve had to speak to your home in rigid, specific commands,” Google said.
“But with Gemini, the transactional relationship is becoming a truly natural conversation.
“It begins with how Gemini sounds, with a selection of 10 new, more natural-sounding voices that have realistic pacing and intonation.”
it added: “Gemini can maintain conversational context, so you can have a real back-and-forth conversation without having to constantly repeat yourself.”
One example given by Google included a user asking the assistant for help with fixing the dishwasher.
The user could ask why the dishwasher isn’t draining and what to check first.
Then they could say something like: “The filter looks good – what should I check next?”
And then they could say “looks like there’s a block in the hose – how can I fix that?”
The Google AI helper would understand that the user was still talking about the dishwasher, and could help get the problem resolved.
You don’t have to keep restarting the conversation with every command.
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It also lets you control your smart home gadgets like before, so you can manage your smart cameras or doorbells, locks or speakers, lights and home heating.
So you can ask for more complicated requests like: “Hey Google, play that song from the climactic scene where they are dancing at summer camp.”
Or you could tell Google to add the ingredients for Pad Thai to your shopping list – rather than having to request each one manually.
Similarly, you could ask Google to “set a timer to cook a ribeye steak”, even if you don’t know how long it should take.
If you ask “Hey Google, I’m about to cook, can you turn on the lights”, Gemini should know that you’re asking about the kitchen lightining.
But that’s not all – you can also ask very detailed questions about what’s going on in your house.
It’ll rely on the smart home gadgets that you have.
So if your child has smart lighting in the bedroom, you could find out more about it. For instance, one Google example mentioned asking how many hours the child’s light is on after 8pm in, say, a given week.
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You could also ask how long your heating was running on the weekend, or how many hours your TV has been left on.
And you can even build automations just by asking questions – without any programming knowledge.
So you could get the AI to turn on your porch lights and activate your door’s smart lock at sunset, without you having to lift a finger.
There’s also a Home Brief feature that will automatically work out the day’s most important events from your smart cameras.
And then it will be delivered to you with key bits, like when certain people returned home – or if any packages were delivered.
All of this will also be manageable inside a new redesigned Google Home app.
The new Gemini for Home will go live in “early access” in October, and it’ll come to loads of older Google and Nest smart devices – not just the new gear.
NEW GOOGLE GADGETS
To help things along on the smart home front, Google has also launched several new gadgets.
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The headline device is the new Google Home Speaker.
It was actually teased earlier this year as an Easter egg in a video of F1 superstar Lando Norris.
The speaker will be available in spring 2026 starting at $99.99, with UK pricing to be revealed at a later date.
It’ll have a new light ring that glows dynamically as it listens, thinks, and responds.
It has 360-degree audio so you can place it anywhere – and you can connect two together wirelessly as a stereo pair.
The speaker comes in four colourways – Jade, Berry, Hazel, and Porcelain – and can be grouped with other speakers around your home.
Google has also unveiled a pair of new smart cameras.
One is the Nest Cam Outdoor (wired, second-gen), and the other is the Nest Cam Indoor (wired, third-gen).
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They feature 2K video resolution with HDR capture, and also work with the new Google Home.
The outdoor camera starts at $149.99 for a single unit or $249.99 for a two-pack.
And the indoor camera will set you back a slightly cheaper $99.99.
They’re both available today: Wednesday, October 1.
