AI Search
Google has announced a string of updates for Gemini for Home, including “Live Search” for Nest cameras.
Rolled out to U.S. devices in October and November and expanded globally in early 2026, Google’s big AI-powered upgrade to Google Assistant has experienced ups and downs — namely, backlash around previously free features that are now paywalled behind a Google Home Premium subscription. However, it seems like Google is listening to feedback on at least the technical side of Gemini for Home, with another batch of improvements hitting the company’s competitor to Amazon’s Alexa.
On Monday, head of product for Google Home and Nest, Anish Kattukaran, posted on X about the latest updates coming to Google’s AI voice assistant and Nest devices, from voice command fixes to location accuracy.
This is probably the most notable update that Kattukaran announced: A feature available only to Premium subscribers ($10 per month or $100 per year), “Live Search” will be added to Google’s Nest cameras. This is different to Google’s AI-powered “Search Live” feature, which lets smartphone users request real-time information with their phone camera.
With “Live Search,” Kattukaran said you’ll be able to “ask Gemini to understand the current state of your home” with questions like “Hey Google, is there a car in the driveway?” and if you have Nest cameras installed you’ll get an update from Gemini. Exactly what this means for privacy and security remains to be seen, but honestly, it’s been a rocky time for Big Tech and AI-powered cameras.
In another Nest upgrade, Google Home’s integration with Yale Lock smart locks — where you can manage security measures like passcodes and guest access in the Home app — is out of beta and into general release. And Nest Wifi Pro, Google’s mesh WiFi system, has upped performance and security.
Several updates relate to how users communicate with Google devices, with context improvements promised for asking Gemini general questions and giving everyday commands. A common complaint with Google Home users, getting cut-off while speaking, has also been addressed, with Kattukaran saying that the team has “significantly reduced these premature cut-offs to ensure Gemini correctly understands you, enabling smoother and more fluid turn-taking during live conversations.”
There’s also been an update to how Gemini understands the nuances of smart devices within the same room (like kitchen lights vs kitchen devices) and those with alternative names (you know you’ve named your lights something dumb). “Got a device uniquely named ‘Table Glow’?” Kattukaran wrote. “Gemini now automatically knows it’s a light based on manufacturer data, meaning it will correctly respond to ‘turn on the lights’ even without the word ‘light’ in its name.”
Gemini for Home will apparently go harder on customising responses based on your home address, which you can set in the Google Home app as usual. This means when you’re asking Google about the news and weather, it’ll be more specific to your area (this is beneficial to people who share a Home account but might not always be under the same roof — people work, socialise, and travel).
According to Kattukaran, Google has also fixed command targeting so if you ask your device to turn off lights, for example, it will only do so in the location you’re currently in (if you’re a fancy pants with several houses and one Google Home account, this will be helpful to you).
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Topics Google Google Assistant Google Home Google Gemini
Shannon Connellan is Mashable’s UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable’s Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.
