I didn't know my Google Nest speaker could do this – Gemini adds a pleasant surprise

It's a move that makes a lot of sense too

Google Nest Audio
(Image credit: Google)
Britta O'Boyle's avatar
By
published
in News
Quick Summary

Google Nest Audio users are reporting seeing Gemini colours on their smart speakers.

You need to be enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview and have turned on Experimental AI features.

Google's Nest speakers have had an interesting journey so far. They weren't always called Nest for starters. The smart home devices started life under the Google Home umbrella, with devices like the Google Home Mini and Google Home Hub before rebranding to Google Nest in 2019.

Until now, all of the smart home devices have supported Google Assistant and that unified them, even if the naming was a little confusing for a few years. But then Google introduced Gemini – originally called Bard – in 2023, and while Google Assistant remained on smart home devices, some started making the shift to Gemini.

Over the last couple of years, Google Assistant has continued to be replaced with Gemini and it looks like the Nest speakers will be the latest to embrace Google's AI. According to a report on 9to5Google, picked up from a Reddit thread, some Nest Audio speakers are using Gemini colours.

Gemini colors on Nest Audio lights from r/googlehome

How do you get Gemini on Nest Audio?

The report claims some Nest Audio users enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview are seeing blue and purple colours on the four lights on the front of the speaker. It's claimed to be appearing on Nest Audio speakers running Cast firmware 3.75.468348.

Currently, there are no reports of Gemini appearing on the smaller 2nd-generation Nest Mini despite it being the other speaker eligible for the Google Home Public Preview. There is also no word on Gemini being tested in Nest Hubs at the moment.

With Google previously announcing it would be using Gemini models to improve Assistant however, and the Gemini brand appearing on mobile devices including phones, tablets, watches and headphones, as well as Google TV now, it would make sense for Google to switch everything to Gemini.

When that might fully happen remains to be seen for now, but if you have a Nest Audio speaker and you are enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview, look out for the blue and purple Gemini lights.

We also expect to find out more tomorrow (12 May), during the Google I/O keynote.

TOPICS
Britta O'Boyle
Britta O'Boyle

Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Latest
You might also like
View More ▸