In summary
- Gemini for Home coming to older Nest speakers, cameras, and doorbells
- All such devices launched within the last decade
- Sign up for early access now
Google has announced that it’s bringing its Gemini for Home AI assistant to most of its older smart speakers.
The company just revealed a new Google Home Speaker with next-level AI smarts. It might just replace Alexa speakers among the team. However, availability for this smart device is set for some way off in Spring 2026.
Now the company has revealed that you’ll be able to get a taste of Gemini for Home on your creaky old Google Nest speaker.
“We’re bringing Gemini for Home to every speaker, smart display, camera and doorbell we’ve made in the last decade,” the company just announced, “along with the new Google Home app”.
Gemini for Home will replace the existing Google Assistant on a range of older Google devices, including the likes of the Google Nest Hub and the Google Nest Mini, as well as the Google Nest Cam camera and Google Nest Doorbell.
Google promises table to recognise what’s in the picture rather than just spouting generic motion alerts.
Gemini for Home on your Nest device
Gemini for Home gives you a choice of 10 natural-sounding voices, and can maintain a natural flow in back-and-forth exchanges. It’ll remember your previous request, so you won’t have to ask discrete answers each and every time just to get to the answer you require.
It can also understand vaguer requests when asking it to play media, which is what most of us likely use their Google speakers for. “Hey Google, play the song from the movie where a bunch of oil workers fly to space to blow up an asteroid,” is the example that Google uses, though quite why anyone would be wanting to listen to Aerosmith’s soppy ballad in 2025 is a mystery to us. Maybe Gemini for Home can answer that one when we get it up and running.
Talking of which, it’ll be available starting this month through an early access program, with speakers and smart displays starting towards the end of the month.
To sign up, head into the Google Home app (it should be on version 4.0), tap the Settings tab at the bottom, then scroll down to the Nest services and support section. Tap Early access, then the Sign up button. Now just wait to be notified of your Gemini for Home upgrade.
