Google is making its biggest bet yet on the future of the connected home, and this time the spotlight isn’t just on hardware. At a packed launch event today, the company unveiled a sweeping set of announcements that reimagine its smart-home ecosystem around Gemini, Google’s AI assistant platform. From new cameras and doorbells to an entirely redesigned speaker arriving in 2026, the message was clear: the Google Assistant era is ending, and the Gemini era has begun.

Gemini for Home: The Assistant, Reimagined

At the heart of today’s news is Gemini for Home, Google’s next-generation smart assistant designed to live inside your Nest and Home devices. If the original Google Assistant was about commands — “turn off the lights,” “set a timer,” “play some music” — Gemini is about conversations. It’s powered by large language models, the same AI backbone running across Google’s wider ecosystem, which means it can now understand context, string together multiple steps, and respond in a much more natural, human-like way.

Google demoed examples like asking Gemini to “turn off all the lights except the ones in the bedroom” or “lock the front door and make sure the thermostat is set for 22 degrees.” Where Assistant might have needed you to bark out separate commands, Gemini can chain them together intelligently.

Personalization is also key: the system supports up to six distinct voice profiles per home, meaning it knows whether it’s answering a parent asking about work reminders, or a child asking for their homework playlist. There’s also Gemini Live, a hands-free, conversational mode that drops the constant need for “Hey Google” wake words.

But here’s the catch: many of Gemini’s most advanced features sit behind a new paywall. Google confirmed that its long-running Nest Aware plan is being sunsetted, replaced by Google Home Premium. The free tier will cover the basics — simple commands, device control, limited camera storage — while Premium unlocks advanced voice features, AI-enhanced camera intelligence, and smarter automations.

New Nest Cameras and Doorbell: Gemini-Ready from Day One

Hardware wasn’t left behind. Google introduced three new 2K Nest devices built from the ground up to work with Gemini:

• Nest Cam Indoor 2K ($99.99)
• Nest Cam Outdoor 2K ($149.99)
• Nest Doorbell 2K ($179.99)

These aren’t just incremental updates. The new cameras feature upgraded sensors, a taller and wider field of view, better low-light performance, and the ability to deliver full-color night vision. Google also added dynamic zoom and cropfeatures that automatically center and enhance important activity in the frame.

One of the most consumer-friendly changes: free cloud storage for short clips is being doubled from 3 to 6 hours. For many households, that could mean less urgency to subscribe — though the real AI-powered alerts still live behind Google Home Premium.

Design also got attention. The cameras now ship in new colors and are built with UV-resistant resin, a small but thoughtful detail aimed at keeping outdoor units from yellowing or fading over years of sun exposure.

Perhaps most importantly, Gemini for Home will not leave existing Nest owners behind. Google confirmed that all Nest cameras dating back to 2015 will be compatible, making this one of the broadest retrofits of AI into legacy hardware we’ve seen.

The Next Google Home Speaker: A 2026 Preview

Tucked into the announcements was an early look at something bigger: a redesigned Google Home Speaker, set to arrive in spring 2026. Gone is the Nest branding; this is simply “Google Home” again, and it comes in a striking new form factor — a flattened sphere available in four finishes.

Inside, Google promises 360-degree sound, stereo pairing, and even the ability to integrate with TVs for a surround-sound-style setup. The speaker has a light ring around its base for feedback and voice matching for up to six users, tying directly into Gemini’s new personalization system.

Crucially, this will be the first speaker to ship with Gemini for Home out of the box, positioning it as both a music hub and a conversational AI centerpiece. It won’t hit shelves until next year, but Google is already setting expectations: this isn’t just a smart speaker; it’s the flagship Gemini appliance.

The Google Home App Gets a Smarter Brain

To knit all of this together, Google is overhauling the Google Home app. The refreshed interface is designed to look cleaner, run faster, and provide new ways of interacting with devices. Most notably, there’s a built-in “Ask Home” chatbot — essentially a text-based front door to Gemini.

Another addition is Home Brief, a daily AI-curated digest of what happened around your house: motion events from cameras, reminders triggered, lights or doors left on. Instead of hunting through notifications, users get a single summarized feed.

Automation also takes a leap forward. Instead of manually scripting “if this, then that” routines, users can ask Gemini to create flows in natural language — “make sure the hallway lights turn on at sunset unless I’m away.”

The Bigger Picture: AI Comes Home

What today’s announcements really signal is a strategic pivot: Google is doubling down on AI as the glue of the smart home. Where the past decade was about hardware competition (Google Home vs. Amazon Echo vs. Apple HomePod), the next decade will be about whose AI makes the home feel most personal, most helpful, and most trustworthy.

Gemini is Google’s bet that people want assistants that can handle nuance, context, and conversation, not just one-off commands. By baking it into everything from $99 cameras to a flagship $179 doorbell and a premium smart speaker, Google is trying to create an ecosystem where the AI is the star, and the hardware plays supporting roles.

Of course, challenges loom. The subscription model could frustrate users who already pay for cloud storage and music services. Privacy questions remain, especially as AI grows more context-aware inside the home. And Google is entering this new chapter at the same time Amazon is retooling Alexa and Apple is deepening its HomeKit and Siri integrations.

But make no mistake: today marks the most ambitious reimagining of Google’s smart home since the original Google Home launched in 2016. Assistant is out, Gemini is in — and your house may never feel quite the same.