After talking about the switch for months, Google is finally rolling out Gemini to Google Home and Nest devices as the replacement for Google Assistant. This change is happening in early access for now, so don’t expect everything to work perfectly or for all features to be included. However, this makes a big switch in how you’ll talk to your home speakers, as you’ll be able to carry-on much more natural conversations with Gemini than you could with Assistant.
To gain access, Google hasn’t exactly been that upfront about the process or who is eligible. From what we can tell, you’ll need to open your Google Home app, tap your profile, then Home Settings, scroll to the bottom to find “Early access,” and then follow the prompts to join the early access program. After that, you’ll likely just be waiting for your turn at the change. When will that be? That is anyone’s guess, but the rollout has started today.
Should you be prompted to make the switch to Gemini from Google Assistant, Google explains that there are two ways to use your devices by voice going forward. The standard “Hey Google” prompt will get you a pretty typical interaction from a command, although with a more natural sounding voice. If you instead say, “Hey Google, let’s chat,” you’ll open a Gemini Live session, where you can brainstorm ideas, learn new concepts, get expert help, etc. all in a more freely-flowing conversation.
The things you’ll want to try out as you make the switch are more complex tasks for Gemini to handle. For example, tell it to turn off all of the lights in your house except for a specific room and see how it does. You could also tell it to turn on your TV, dim lights, and set a temperature, all with one command. It’ll also just be smarter with your less-specific command details, like if you asked it to “turn on the outside lights,” it would know to turn on both front and back lights because they are outside.
In a blog post we’ve linked below, Google came up with a list of 100 things you can try using Gemini. Many of the ideas are silly information finders, but there are several that could help you improve smart home efficiency or find new music or manage/organize your household. Hit that link and let us know if anything sounds useful.
