Verdict
Gemini replaced Google Assistant on Nest speakers and displays and reached most UK homes through early access by June 2026. The basic assistant is free and understands loose requests such as turning off every light except the bedroom, but The Verge found it slow and sometimes confidently wrong. Gemini Live chats and smart automations need Google Home Premium at £8 a month, and camera summaries need the £16 plan.
Best for
Homes already using Nest speakers, displays or cameras
Skip if
Anyone who needs fast, reliable voice control above all
Key facts
- Category
- Home, family & everyday life
- Made by
- Google LLC
- Based in
- United States
- Launched
- 2025
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, hardware
- In the UK
- Yes
- Price from
- £8 a month
- Free plan
- Gemini for Home voice assistant basics (smart home control, music, timers, lists, reminders, questions) at no cost on Google and Nest speakers and displays
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| Google Home Premium Standard | £8 | month |
| Google Home Premium Standard | £80 | year |
| Google Home Premium Advanced | £16 | month |
| Google Home Premium Advanced | £160 | year |
What it does
- controls smart home devices by voice with Gemini
- holds open-ended conversations with Gemini Live on speakers
- describes what home cameras saw in alerts and daily summaries
- creates home automations from a typed description
- adds calendar events by voice
- searches camera video history
Ratings
What people say
UK individual reviewers who switched in April to June 2026 mostly found it a step up from the old Assistant for timers, lights and questions, while a vocal minority complain about lost features such as Spotify shuffling and address-based answers. The user user forum is full of reliability complaints, as Engadget noted. Store ratings are for the whole Home app.
“I just got it this morning and so far it feels like a step up over what we had previously.”
Individual user review, 11 June 2026 · source
“There are a lot of people in this sub who seem to have issues with it but for me the experience has been fantastic.”
Individual user review, 11 June 2026 · source
“impressed that exception reporting works, ie… turn on all lights EXCEPT X. Worked first time!”
Individual user review, 11 April 2026 · source
“a little peeved that I can no longer ask Google to shuffle my created Spotify playlists”
Individual user review, 10 April 2026 · source
“Not a fan. Won't even give me driving directions because it only knows my suburb”
Individual user review, 11 June 2026 · source
Press reviews
- The Verge 2026-07-01
Gemini for Home 'is a work in progress': excellent at general knowledge but slow and unreliable, with some features paywalled; the reviewer preferred Alexa+.
- WIRED 2026-06-24
Leads the new generation of smart speakers; Gemini is 'helpful and smart' and a little smarter than Alexa+, but some of its best features sit behind a paywall.
- Engadget 2026-06-24
8/10 for the speaker; subscription needed for Gemini Live and the Google Home platform 'has been buggy as of late'.
- Android Central 2026-07-04
Gemini actually understands commands, unlike late-era Assistant, but performance is inconsistent, with timers sometimes taking 20-25 seconds.
- Ars Technica 2025-10-31
Gemini's camera descriptions bring generative AI to footage 'but it gets a lot wrong'.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- Yes when Home History is on: Gemini for Home queries are saved to Home History and used to improve Google services including training generative AI models. Audio and Gemini Live recordings are only used for training if the user opts in (off by default). Unidentified guests' interactions are not used for training
- Opt-out
- Turn off Home History or delete activity at myactivity.google.com/product/home; the voice and audio training setting is off by default
- Retention
- Home History auto-deletes after 18 months by default, adjustable; camera video kept for the subscription period (30 or 60 days event history, 10 days 24/7). Human reviewers may read de-identified interactions
- Incidents
- none specific to Gemini for Home found in searches of news and HN; Ars Technica (Oct 2025) and The Verge (Jul 2026) documented wrong camera descriptions and confidently wrong answers
- Age limit
- Google Home Premium AI benefits and some Google AI plan features are limited to users 18+ (one.google.com); Voice Match personal results need a personal Google Account
Official videos
FAQ
Is Gemini for Home available in the UK?
Yes, in early access. Google lists the UK among early-access countries, and UK individual reviewers reported the rollout reaching their speakers between April and June 2026.
Do I have to pay for Gemini on my Google speaker?
No for the basics like smart home control, timers, music and questions. Gemini Live conversations and voice-built automations need Google Home Premium Standard at £8 a month.
Does Gemini work on old Nest speakers?
Yes. It works on all Google and Nest speakers and displays, but only newer models such as the Nest Audio, Nest Mini 2nd gen and Nest Hub 2nd gen get the full experience (Tom's Guide).
Gemini for Home or Alexa+?
Reviewers are split. The Verge preferred Alexa+ for speed and smart-home control, while WIRED preferred Gemini. Alexa+ is free with Prime, Gemini's basics are free for everyone.
Does Google use my voice to train Gemini?
Audio recordings are only used if that setting is turned on, and it is off by default. Text of queries is used for training while Home History is on, which can be turned off.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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