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- Got Gemini for Home questions? Google has some answers
- AI upgrades, subscriptions, and older devices are all covered
- The roll out of new devices and new features is relatively slow
Google has revamped its smart home ecosystem with new devices, new subscriptions, and updated AI, and it’s left many users confused about what’s changing and why – and now Google is endeavoring to address some of the most common questions in a new Google Home forum post.
First up is Gemini for Home, replacing Google Assistant on the new hardware and older devices too. At the basic level it’s a free update with no ongoing subscription, and you’ll be able to use Gemini to search for devices, ask quick queries (like “are the bedroom lights on?”), and issue basic voice commands (such as “switch off the bedroom lights”).
There are also two paid subscription options, Google Home Premium Standard and Advanced, which replace Nest Aware, and which we’ve covered in depth. These give you access to the more conversational Gemini Live, the ability to create automations with AI, AI search for video clips, and up to 60 days of video history from your home security cameras.
Paying extra also gets you an AI-powered Home Brief summarizing smart home events, and notifications that use AI to summarize motion detection events. If you already subscribe to Nest Aware you’ll be carried over to the new plans, and they’re also bundled into the Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra subscriptions.
Google has only specified US pricing, but it looks like the Nest Aware prices will be carried over in all regions: $10 / £8 / AU$15 a month for the Standard plan and double that for the Advanced plan. If you have questions about switching over and other bundles, Google provides links to several relevant help articles.
Available now… sort of
Google is playing it safe in terms of rolling all of this out. Gemini for Home is available now through an “early access program” in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, and only for cameras and doorbells – and you have to sign up through the Google Home app (pick Early Access from the Settings page).
The Gemini voice assistant will be available – through early access – on smart speakers by the end of October, but only in the US. Apparently users in other countries are going to be able to sign up “in the near future” – Google lists Japan, Mexico, and several European countries as being next in line.
Most Google smart speakers and smart displays made since 2015 are going to be eligible for these upgrades, though for the time being it seems as though support for third-party devices is limited. Google says it’s “working with” other companies, and the new Walmart Onn devices are compatible (see here for more on compatibility).
The help article also answers some questions about the redesigned Google Home app, which Google promises is going to be faster and more stable across the board. We’ve already seen several improvements roll out in recent weeks, and there are apparently plenty more on the way.
It’s a lot to take in – and while the new forum post does a good job of responding to the main queries, we suspect that plenty of users are still going to have questions about how all of this works. At least the Google Home ecosystem is moving away from the buggy mess it was earlier in the year.
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