What you need to know
- Gemini for Home is expanding beyond North America with support for 16 new countries and more languages.
- Google has improved performance with up to 40% faster smart home response times for common commands.
- The assistant is now more context-aware with better device understanding and more precise control.
Gemini for Home has been exclusive to North America for some time, but that is now starting to change as Google has started the expansion of the feature to more regions and languages.
Google announced in a community blog post that the Gemini for Home voice assistant is rolling out to seven new languages and 16 new countries beyond the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
In Europe, it will be available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In the Asia-Pacific region, it is coming to Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.
This is a much-needed expansion. Gemini for Home felt oddly limited being locked to the U.S. and Canada, and now it's finally starting to feel like a real global product. That said, missing markets like India still make this rollout feel incomplete.
In terms of languages, Gemini for Home will now support Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish. It's a significant expansion from Google, although some key markets, including India, are still missing for now.
It's worth noting that the feature will remain opt-in. Google says users will start seeing invitations to join the early access program in the Google Home app. Google says the rollout has already begun, and most eligible users should be able to opt in within the next week.
Alongside the expansion, Google also says it has improved performance. The company claims it has reduced smart home latency by up to 40% for common commands like turning on lights.
Google also says Gemini is now more context-aware. It can better distinguish between devices like lights and lamps and use your home address to deliver more relevant local news and weather updates. There is also more precise control for smart home devices, such as setting specific humidity levels or preheating ovens.
The company is also introducing more advanced features like world-aware alarms, where you can set reminders for events like your favorite team's match. Additionally, there are improvements to live camera search for users on Google Home Premium.
