Google Home

After previously being limited to Cameras and Automations, the Google Home web app now lets you control other smart “Devices.”

Ahead of the expected October 1 announcement, the rumored Nest Cam and Doorbell “2K” updates are already appearing in stores.

Following a leak last month, a new update to the Google Home app has surfaced with images and details about the company’s new lineup of Nest cameras.

Ecovacs didn’t think robot vacuums and mops were efficient enough, even though they do all the work for you. The Matter-compatible X11 Omnicylcone robot cleaner fast-charges during routine tasks so it never has to stop, and it eliminates one of the most annoying things about robot vacuums — dust bags.

In a brief post today, Google is officially teasing an October 1 debut for its new Nest Cam and Gemini updates for Google Home.

Following the wide rollout last week, release notes for Google Home 3.39 are now available with a trio of new features listed.

Over the past few weeks, Google has been rolling out various improvements to how the Home app works with Nest Cam products, and the company is now detailing everything new.

Google is apparently planning a shakeup for its smart home hardware efforts centered around – you guess it – Gemini, with a new “Google Home Premium” subscription reportedly taking the place of Nest Aware.

Google’s Nest hardware suite hasn’t seen a refresh in four years now, but the company is now gearing up for a new launch this year which includes better video quality, support for digital zoom, and some striking hardware updates.

At Made by Google 2025, Google detailed “Gemini for Home” and briefly showed what appears to be a new first-party smart speaker. 

Through recent updates, the Google Home app is now fixing the final deficiency of older Nest thermostats with the arrival of scheduling support.

Google Home is testing a new automation editor that adds “flexibility and convenience to control your smart home with a refreshed look.”

This round, Google Home has released two release notes — version 3.37 and 3.38 — simultaneously with a focus on camera updates. This follows the last drop in late July.

ADT’s Nest-integrated security system is one of my favorite parts of my smart home, in part because it has a lot of futuristic ideas. Recently, ADT added a new smart lock option to its lineup, and the fingerprint-enabled lock is such a welcome upgrade.

Back in June, Google introduced three new voices for the upcoming Gemini-Assistant revamp for the Nest Mini and Audio. Ahead of launch, Google has renamed most of them, but they otherwise appear to be the same.

As previewed last November, Google Home for Android is giving the media controller a Material 3 redesign.

Google is addressing a longtime sore point of its Nest cameras with recent updates to the Google Home app which, apparently, will reduce how often users run into “no video available” errors.

In April, Google began offering changelogs for the Home app on Android and iOS. Release notes for Google Home 3.34, 3.35, and 3.36 are now available.

If you’re having trouble controlling lights via Google Home and voice commands, you’re not alone, as Google has acknowledged some issues regarding this functionality and is working to roll out a fix.

Google Assistant has, especially in the context of the smart home, been crumbling over the past couple of years. In a post this evening, Google’s lead for Home and Nest has acknowledged Assistant issues while also teasing “major improvements” coming later this year.