Gemini for Home falls behind phones in real-world tests

Google’s massive effort to get Gemini on its smart speakers and smart displays is running into a very public hitch. Side-by-side tests reveal the home version consistently fails tasks that the Android version takes in its stride. If you’ve been itching to upgrade on a Nest Hub or Google Home device, it might be best to hold off.

What the side-by-side tests reveal about Gemini Home

A YouTuber, Adam Hrivnacky, tested Gemini running on an Android phone against Gemini running on a Nest Hub and discovered a stark difference in capabilities. For instance, one time I told it “I’m feeling cold today,” and on the phone I got some helpful tips, while the smart display responded by giving me a recommendation to connect my Spotify account. Assistant used to be able to change a thermostat or tell you no thermostat was connected.

Routine productivity was a miss on the home version as well. It was unable to summarize emails, had difficulty adding reminders with relative timings like “a month from now,” and would not always name a reminder when asked — sometimes resorting to a web search instead. Even our attempts to switch the color of smart lights with natural language — “something between blue and green” — fizzled. The same requests were performed with the same broken queries on the Android client.

Live Mode on Home revealed even more rough edges. The display’s Live Mode — required for it to access calendar data — can’t be turned off, a detail that doesn’t seem to exist on Android. Instead, it felt like a mishmash of Gemini-style assistant, legacy Assistant (which will linger in Google Search no matter how much the company attempts to slaughter it), and straight-up search.

Why the Home version of Gemini feels limited right now

Some of the mismatch probably boils down to plumbing. For phones, Gemini leverages app-level permissions for Gmail, Calendar, and reminders alongside on-device contextual recognition and lightning-fast cloud hand-offs. On a speaker or display, Gemini needs to adhere to shared-home privacy models, Voice Match profiles, and the Home Graph that maps devices and rooms — layers you can undermine if your assistant isn’t deeply integrated.

There’s also a language gap. Smart home control relies on accurate intent mapping: color requests should map to hue and saturation, relative dates should resolve to timestamps, and device queries need the correct room and brand. If Gemini on Home isn’t fully wired into Home Graph or Routines APIs, natural language reverts to something more generic and search-like.

The subscription twist and changes to voice features

Adding insult to the downgrade, users lose the free Continued Conversation feature in stepping down from Assistant to Gemini on Home. To have a similar back-and-forth, you must use Gemini Live that comes with the Google One AI Premium plan, which costs about $19.99 monthly. Gemini Live is snappier and conversational, though the tests demonstrate it can still hit walls in reaching core personal data and home controls on screens.

That paywall is less than ideal in homes, like mine, where voice is a daily utility. A feature that once enabled you to ask follow-up questions without a wake word now requires a payment, and even then it may not return the broad spectrum of old Assistant behaviors.

Real-world applications for smart homes and routines

Analyst firms have projected tens of millions of Google smart speakers and displays in homes worldwide. If you’re one of those users, consistency will always take precedence over the next hot thing. If quick reminders, checks of the calendar, and precise control over lights are central to your morning routine, Gemini’s Home experience as it stands introduces quite a bit of risk and friction.

It’s an example that speaks to a larger transformation, as well. Google shut down a lot of third-party voice actions and is now betting on Matter, local controls, and first-party integrations. Theoretically, it should lead to faster and more reliable voice control. In use, Gemini for Home is as if a reset has occurred, but not all the wires have been reconnected.

Test it yourself before you upgrade your Nest Hub

Your phone can testify to the chasm in minutes. Try the following:

• “I’m cold today.”
• “Read me my last email.”
• “Set a reminder for next month.”
• “Call it ‘Cancel Google Home Premium trial.’”
• “Set the desk lamp to something between blue and green.”

On Android, Gemini usually gets these right. On a Nest Hub running Gemini, you’ll hear apologies, web searches, or pleas to change modes.

If your home relies on the mature device control and personal results capability of Assistant, you may want to hold off on an upgrade. Continue to leave Assistant on speakers and displays, but rely on Gemini for your phone, where it’s demonstrably more competent and better integrated.

What to watch from Google as Gemini for Home evolves

Google crisply positioned Gemini as a more helpful assistant across surfaces, which implies that its powers will grow over time, according to support documents. The company will also have to fill in holes in the Home Graph, personal results, and reminders there to meet the phone experience — without gating many key voice features behind a subscription.

Until then, the real-world tests don’t lie. Gemini for Home feels fresh and new, but there’s no beating what your phone can do.