Google Gemini for Home Update Brings Better Spotify Controls

Google has released a new update for its Google Home app and Gemini for Home voice assistant, adding improved Spotify recognition, more flexible broadcast commands, precise smart-light controls and several fixes for camera streaming problems. The late-August update is focused largely on refining existing features rather than introducing a major new capability.

One of the most notable changes is improved Spotify support. Gemini for Home can now better interpret requests involving specific songs, artists and playlists, including personal playlists such as a user’s liked songs. Personal Results must be enabled to access those personalized playlists, but the update is designed to reduce misunderstandings when users ask Google Home devices to play particular content.

Broadcasting messages has also become more convenient. Instead of giving the command and the entire message together, users can now say, “Hey Google, broadcast message,” and then provide the message in a separate follow-up request.

The update also adds more precise voice control for compatible smart lights. Users can specify an exact color temperature in kelvins, including commands such as, “Hey Google, make the living room lights 2,400 kelvins.”

Google Home is also receiving expanded support for compatible European-style smart locks. Users can now control unlatching and unlocking separately, while the app provides more detailed information about a lock’s condition, including statuses such as “Unlocked and latched.”

Several smaller improvements address temperature controls and readings. Google says Celsius and Fahrenheit preferences should now be applied consistently across the Google Home app, voice commands and Google Nest devices. An iOS problem that caused thermostat settings at half-degree Fahrenheit intervals to be incorrectly rounded down to whole numbers has also been corrected.

Camera performance is another major focus of the update. Google has released fixes for some common camera crashes on iOS, while controls remain available when users are viewing a camera that is offline or having connection problems. On Android, live camera feeds should no longer become locked at 360p when a higher-resolution stream is available.

The latest changes arrive as Google continues its early-access rollout of Gemini for Home, which has been developing steadily over recent months. The company announced Gemini for Home in August 2025 after previewing it at Google I/O earlier that year. The system is gradually replacing Google Assistant on compatible smart-home devices, including smart speakers and displays such as the Google Home Speaker.

Google has also been expanding its smart-home hardware lineup. The company announced new devices toward the end of last year, including updated Nest Cams and Doorbells, while the new Google Home Speaker went on sale in June 2026.

There are also indications that Google could be preparing another smart display. Rumors have pointed to a refreshed Google Home Display, while code discovered inside the latest Google Home app reportedly references a new Nest Hub or smart display with an integrated camera. Such a device could revive a feature associated with the discontinued Nest Hub Max.