Google Home App Gets Gemini AI Integration - Latest Updates

Google Revamps Home App with Performance Boost and Gemini AI Integration

Google has acknowledged shortcomings in the user experience provided by its Google Home app, which is used for controlling smart home devices. A significant update is now being implemented to address these issues and enhance functionality.

Addressing Existing Issues

Alongside the introduction of new Nest devices and an anticipated Google Home smart speaker, the tech company has revealed a redesigned Google Home app. This redesign focuses on improved performance, centralized device management, and the integration of its Gemini AI assistant.

While the inclusion of AI represents a key advancement, the app itself has undergone substantial changes in terms of design, operational speed, and overall stability, according to Google.

Anish Kattukaran, chief product officer for Google Home and Nest, stated directly that the current Google Home app has not consistently met the company’s standards. This statement was made during a pre-release briefing for reporters.

Prior to incorporating new AI capabilities, it was essential to resolve the app’s pre-existing problems, Kattukaran explained.

Performance Improvements

“Performance was the primary concern,” he noted. “Enhancing performance is an ongoing process, and we are still working towards optimization.”

Over recent months, Google reports achieving a 70% reduction in app startup time. Furthermore, crashes have been reduced by 80%, alongside improvements in battery efficiency and memory usage.

The company has deployed over 100 performance updates and new features to the app in the past year. This app now supports more than 800 million devices from over 50,000 manufacturers (OEMs) – companies producing devices compatible with Google Home.

(Previously, Google announced support for 750 million devices at its developer conference in May 2025.)

Centralized Management and Gemini AI

The updated Google Home app aims to provide a more streamlined and intuitive experience for users managing their connected devices. The integration of Gemini AI is intended to offer enhanced assistance and automation capabilities.

Key improvements include:

• Faster app startup times
• Reduced app crashes
• Improved battery and memory performance
• Centralized device control
• Integration with Gemini AI

Nest Integration with ‘Home’ is Finalized

The company is dedicated to consolidating device management for Nest users within the Google Home application. This initiative aims to provide a unified experience, over ten years following Google’s 2014 acquisition of Nest. Progress has been made incrementally, integrating functionalities from the Nest app into Google Home, and the transition is now considered complete.

While the Nest app remains available for the time being, Nest device owners should anticipate its eventual phasing out. The Google Home app now provides comprehensive support for Nest thermostats manufactured from 2015 onwards, encompassing scheduling, energy usage data, and hot water boosting capabilities.

Supported Nest Devices

The integration extends to Nest cameras and doorbells, including the migration of recorded video history. Furthermore, Nest Protect’s critical alerts for smoke and carbon monoxide detection are now managed through the Google Home app.

Management of passcodes for Nest x Yale Locks is also now facilitated within the Google Home environment.

A key focus of this update is enhancing the functionality of Nest cameras within the Google Home app. Improvements have been made to the video scrubbing feature, allowing for more efficient navigation through recordings.

The camera feed is now demonstrably faster and more fluid. Users will also experience enhanced animated previews within iOS and Android notifications.

Performance Enhancements

Google reports that live camera views now load 30% more quickly. Playback failures have also been reduced by 40%.

Camera tiles now appear instantaneously, and browsing through recorded history is significantly smoother. Google asserts a more than sixfold increase in frame rate for history playback.

• Faster loading times for live views.
• Reduced playback errors.
• Instant camera tile loading.
• Smoother video history scrolling.

Revamped Google Home App and Gemini Integration

Google has streamlined the Google Home app with a new design featuring only three primary tabs: Home, Activity, and Automation. This simplification aims to enhance user experience and navigation.

Gesture controls have been incorporated, enabling users to swipe within the Home tab to effortlessly switch between all devices and their designated favorites. Swiping functionality also extends to camera views, allowing for intuitive navigation through timelines and event histories.

Playback controls on the video player have been enhanced with double-tap gestures for quick rewinding or fast-forwarding, mirroring the functionality found on YouTube.

Notifications regarding events occurring at your home, delivered via iOS or Android, now feature expanded previews with dynamic animations. This provides a clearer visual understanding of activity directly from your smartphone’s lock screen.

Artificial intelligence is now utilized to summarize activity within these alerts and camera history, offering more descriptive notifications than simple “motion detected” alerts.

The Activity tab within the Google Home app now presents a comprehensive history of events occurring throughout your home. This includes activity from devices regardless of their manufacturer – Google or otherwise.

A new, AI-powered feature called “Home Brief” is located at the top of this tab. Utilizing Gemini, it delivers a concise summary of the day’s events, eliminating the need to manually review extensive logs.

Users can locate specific events through integrated filters or by utilizing the “Ask Home” function. This represents a novel method for interacting with Gemini directly within the application.

This search and assistance feature is consistently accessible from the app’s new header. It proactively suggests relevant devices and automations as you begin typing queries, such as “lights” or “living room.”

Gemini AI empowers users to pose questions about their home using natural language. It can retrieve specific camera footage, manage multiple devices simultaneously, and even create automations based on verbal descriptions.

For example, Gemini can respond to inquiries like “When did the children arrive home?” or “Was the vehicle door secured?”

When reviewing camera event recordings, the AI can provide descriptive analyses of the captured activity. It identifies the cause of motion and its precise location within the home.

Certain AI functionalities, including Gemini-powered automation creation, the Home Brief, and the Ask Home feature, necessitate a Google Home Premium subscription. This subscription begins at $10 monthly.

However, access to these features is included at no additional cost with Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions.

The Automation tab within the Google Home app now displays a list of existing automations alongside a preview of upcoming events over the next few hours. This is presented through a new carousel at the top of the screen.

This tab has been rebuilt natively for both iOS and Android, replacing the previous web view implementation, resulting in improved performance. The Automations editor has also been redesigned.

The redesigned editor offers expanded options for creating both one-time and conditional automations.

Gemini also provides users with valuable insights into their home’s resource consumption. Users can inquire about details such as the duration of AC operation during the previous week.

Information regarding television usage over a weekend can also be readily obtained.

The Google Home 4.0 app update will begin its global rollout on October 1st and will continue in phases over the following days.

To gain early access to the update, users are instructed to open the Google Home app, navigate to their profile icon, and select “Home Settings.” Then, scroll down and choose “Early Access” to join the testing program.