Google today introduced Gemini for Home, a new AI-powered assistant designed to make managing connected devices more natural, intuitive, and helpful. The company said Gemini will integrate across phones, TVs, smart home gadgets, and the rebuilt Google Home app, while also powering a new lineup of Nest devices.The Google Home app has been redesigned with a focus on speed, reliability, and completeness. On Android, it now loads over 70% faster, app crashes are down nearly 80%, and both battery and memory usage are improved. For users with cameras, live views load 30% faster with fewer playback failures, camera tile previews appear instantly, and history scrolling is smoother with a six-times higher frame rate.The app now unifies support for Nest devices, including all Nest Thermostat models since 2015, Nest Protect smoke and CO alerts, and Nest x Yale Lock passcode management. Older Nest cams and doorbells now run faster and more reliably.
A simplified three-tab layout puts key features at the forefront: the Home tab for an overview of devices, the Activity tab for a unified history, and the Automations tab with a rebuilt editor that supports one-time routines and conditional starters. Ask Home is now persistently accessible, letting users type or speak commands to find devices, control multiple gadgets, or create automations in natural language.Alongside the app, Google announced a new portfolio of devices built around Gemini. These include three new wired cameras — the Nest Cam Indoor (3rd gen), Nest Cam Outdoor (2nd gen), and Nest Doorbell (3rd gen) — all featuring 2K HDR video, the widest and tallest fields of view yet, and improved low-light performance. DXOMARK ranked all three first in their class for image quality.The new Nest devices unlock AI-powered features like detailed notifications (“dog jumps out of playpen”), Ask Home video search (“What happened to the vase in the living room?”), and Home Brief, which condenses hours of footage into quick summaries. Cameras now also deliver zoomed-in animated previews in alerts, six hours of included event video history (up from three), and built-in intelligent alerts for people, vehicles, animals, and packages.In terms of design, the new devices prioritise privacy, durability, and sustainability. All video is encrypted by default with two-step verification, and a visible green LED indicates when recording is active. The Nest Cam Outdoor and Nest Doorbell are IP65-rated and built with recycled materials, UV-protected resin, and 100% plastic-free packaging.The Nest Cam Indoor ($99.99), Nest Cam Outdoor ($149.99, or $249.99 for a two-pack), and Nest Doorbell ($179.99) will be available from October 1 on the Google Store and at major retailers in multiple countries, including the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan, and across Europe.Gemini for Home features will roll out first in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, and Australia, with wider availability in early 2026.
