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Image credit: Google
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Google's Gemini app now controls smart homes via a Google Home extension
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Gemini can understand natural language to complete tasks
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The goal is to make smart homes more intuitive and easier to manage
Google wants Gemini to control your smart home devices, and has updated the Gemini app with a new Google Home extension to manage all your connected devices in the same way you would ask the AI assistant to manage each to answer another question. So if you have the Gemini app and devices controlled through Google Home, you can link Gemini to your Google Home account.
The extension connects Gemini to your lights, thermostats and other smart home devices, but benefits from Gemini's more flexible conversational capabilities. This means you could say, “It’s too bright here” and have Gemini dim the lights instead of having to specifically adjust the lights to 50%. You can also manage multiple devices using more casual language. Instead of adjusting device settings one by one, you can say, “Dim the living room lights, turn on the bedroom lamp, and lower the blinds.” Gemini can understand the three commands for three sets of devices and act accordingly.
The same applies to media control. Gemini can adjust volume, playback, and other aspects of your music and video players with the same flexibility. And if you're trying to secure your home, Gemini can automatically open the Google Home app when dealing with cameras and locks, keeping your sensitive data safe.
A standout trait is the ability to answer burning questions like, “Did I leave the porch light on?” Gemini will check and tell you, so you don't have to awkwardly go outside in your pajamas to check for yourself. Thanks to Gemini Live, you can even control some devices directly from your phone's lock screen.
A twin house
Google has been battling Amazon Alexa, Apple's Siri and other smart home assistants for years, but Gemini and its natural language controls could give the company an edge as people wait for Amazon's planned Alexa upgrade or smaller ones with similar assistants Brands are experimenting.
Smart homes have always been about convenience, but Google seems to be betting that people want a home that pays more attention to residents and their needs. For now, that attention is limited to practical tasks like dimming lights or playing music. But as AI continues to evolve, who knows? Maybe one day you tell your house, “I’m stressed,” and it makes you a cup of tea, dims the lights, and plays a calming playlist.
Despite its shortcomings, Gemini's new feature is a promising step toward the company's dream of integrating Gemini into every aspect of your life. Gemini becomes an everyday assistant that knows the difference between asking to make things cooler by turning off the thermostat and asking to make things cooler by turning on the mood lighting and Barry White.