Google is introducing a new feature to its Gemini app that enables users to control their smart home devices using natural language prompts. The update, available as part of the Google Home Public Preview program, allows Android users to control lighting, climate, window coverings, TVs, and more from within the Gemini app.
To use this feature, users need to sign in with the same account used for Google Home and ask specific actions like “turn on living room lights” or “help me clean up the kitchen.” The extension supports smart devices such as smart lighting, climate control, and window coverings, but not security devices like cameras, locks, gates, and doors.
This feature is part of Amazon’s efforts to add natural language commands in Alexa, although a full AI overhaul is expected next year. Apple plans to upgrade Siri with Apple Intelligence, which will focus on non-smart home capabilities. The Google Home extension is currently only available in English for users who join the Google Home Public Preview program and follow the steps outlined by Google.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/1/24285283/google-smart-home-extension-gemini-app