TL;DR

Google is replacing Google Assistant with Gemini across its smart speakers and displays. The upgrade brings conversational AI that maintains context, smarter camera alerts with narrative descriptions, and natural language automation creation. Premium features require a new $10/month subscription.

From Commands to Conversations

The most significant change is how users interact with their homes. Where Google Assistant required rigid, specific commands, Gemini enables fluid conversations with contextual understanding. Ask about a dishwasher problem, and follow-up questions don’t require repeating the original context.

Ten new natural-sounding voices with realistic pacing complement this conversational shift. Gemini Live, activated by saying “let’s chat,” removes the need for wake words entirely—users can interrupt, pause and pivot naturally as they would with another person.

Smart home control becomes more intuitive. Requests like “turn off all the lights except the office” now work as expected. Gemini can interpret vague media requests (“play the song from that asteroid movie”) and understand spatial context (“turn on the lights by the stove” from upstairs).

Intelligent Camera Integration

Security cameras gain narrative intelligence through AI descriptions. Rather than generic “motion detected” alerts, users receive contextual summaries like “a USPS delivery driver is placing a package on the porch.” Home Brief delivers evening recaps of the day’s important events, whilst Ask Home enables natural language video search across days of footage.

Looking Forward

The rollout begins this month via early access, eventually reaching all Google speakers, displays, cameras and doorbells from the past decade. Basic Gemini voice features are included free, but advanced capabilities—Gemini Live, AI notifications, Home Brief and automation creation—require Google Home Premium at $10/month or inclusion with Google AI Pro/Ultra subscriptions.

For UK households, this represents a substantial upgrade to existing Google Home investments. The question becomes whether premium features justify the subscription cost, or whether the free tier provides sufficient value.

Source: Google