Google has rolled out another update for the Google Home app and its Gemini for Home voice assistant, with the latest changes headlined by new Spotify requests and fixes to camera streaming issues.
The late-August update is a collection of relatively small changes rather than a major new feature drop, but there are a few useful improvements for anyone using Gemini for Home in its current early access phase.
And, given the backlash Gemini for Home seems to be getting on Reddit and the likes, it is a sign, at least, that the search giant is putting more effort into a platform that went rather stale for a few years.
One of the headline changes is better Spotify recognition. Google says Gemini for Home is now better at understanding requests for specific songs, artists and playlists, including personal playlists such as your liked songs.
You’ll need to have Personal Results enabled to access those personal playlists, but the update should mean fewer occasions where your Google speaker or display misunderstands what you actually wanted to play.
Google has also changed the way broadcasts work. Previously, you needed to deliver the entire request and message in a single command. Now, you can simply say “Hey Google, broadcast message” and then provide the message in a follow-up request.
The third Gemini for Home improvement gives you more control over the color temperature of compatible smart lights. You can now specify an exact temperature in kelvins using your voice, with Google suggesting commands such as, “Hey Google, make the living room lights 2,400 kelvins.”
Elsewhere, the Google Home app is gaining more detailed support for compatible European-style smart locks. The update allows users to independently control unlatching and unlocking, while the app can also show more specific descriptions of a lock’s current state, such as “Unlocked and latched.”
There are some smaller fixes in the update, too. Temperature readings and controls should now consistently use your preferred Celsius or Fahrenheit setting across the Google Home app, voice commands and Google Nest devices. And an iOS issue that incorrectly rounded half-degree Fahrenheit thermostat setpoints down to whole numbers has also been fixed.
Google has also been working through a number of camera-related issues. The company says fixes for some of the most common camera crashes on iOS have rolled out, while controls will now remain accessible when viewing an offline camera or one experiencing connection problems.
Android users, meanwhile, should no longer see live camera streams getting stuck at 360p when a higher-resolution stream is available.
As Google continues to develop Gemini for Home, these updates are still very much focused on improving the fundamentals.
Better recognition, fewer misunderstandings and fixes for everyday frustrations might not be the flashiest additions, but they’re probably the kind of changes Gemini for Home needs most while Google continues its early access rollout.
Gemini for Home has been rolling out steadily over the past few months; the tech giant’s biggest smart home upgrade in years.
Originally announced back in August 2025, after being teased at I/O earlier that year, Gemini for Home is the final nail in the Google Assistant’s smart home coffin, replacing the digital assistant across devices like smart speakers and displays, including the new Google Home Speaker.
Google does finally seem serious about making a comeback in the smart home, with a bunch of new hardware being announced at the end of last year, including revamped Nest Cams and Doorbells and the new Google Home Speaker hitting stores back in June.
There are also rumors suggesting a long-awaited refreshed Home Display is going to land soon.
Code found within the latest Google Home app points to a new new Nest Hub / smart display with built-in camera functionality, potentially reviving one of the standout features of the discontinued Nest Hub Max.