Google Home

The next generation of Google’s smart home era has arrived, with the Google Home Speaker having set the stage. With an inevitable “Google Home Display” likely in the pipeline, what does that look like?

This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of our newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and more. Sign up here to get Weekender delivered to your inbox every weekend, and catch our weekday roundups too!

It’s the end of an era, as the Nest x Yale Lock has been fully removed from the Google Store in favor of its replacement, despite Google not directly selling that alternative.

I’m a Nest Cam user every single day, and I mostly enjoy the product. But “Familar Faces” has been a sticking point for me as, frankly, it just doesn’t work very well. Finally, though, Google says it has a plan to fix “Familiar Faces” on Nest Cam, and I really hope it works.

The updates keep on coming, with Google Home now rolling out yet another big update that improves on not only the app itself, but also Gemini voice commands and camera features too.

Google has confirmed that it has ended production of the Nest Mini and Nest Audio, its 5+ year old smart speakers, as the Google Home speaker is now replacing both devices.

A recent Google Home update seems to have caused some confusion, as the familiar “play the news” command no longer works as expected under Google’s recent Gemini changes.

Google Home is continuing its partnership with Walmart’s Onn brand, now delivering a Nest-like floodlight camera that costs $200 less than Google’s own.

Google sent an email to customers today thanking Gemini for Home early access testers for their feedback, and laying the groundwork for the upcoming Google Home Speaker.

Google is rolling out another Gemini for Home update, offering more detailed visuals to smart displays when you ask about the weather or media.

Yet another Google Home update is now rolling out, bringing a Gemini-powered “Pet Memory” to Nest Cam owners, while also expanding on “Ask Home.”

Quietly launched this week, Walmart is launching its third camera as a part of Google Home’s “Gemini built in” program, with a new $35 outdoor wired camera.

The latest Google Home update lets you tap into Gemini’s camera scene understanding for automations, while there are a slew of updates across the Home app and voice assistant.

On the back of a ton of Gemini announcements at I/O 2026, Google is today announcing “Gemini built in” as a new solution that brings AI features to third-party devices including speakers, cameras, and more.

The Google Home app has largely taken over for most Nest users, but if you still prefer to access older hardware via the Nest app, a widespread outage has broken functionality for many.

Ahead of the upcoming release of Google Home Speaker, a new “Google Home Display” has appeared in Google app code, suggesting a new Nest Hub-esque device is in the works.

Last month, Google said it was redesigning the ‘Home & Nest Community’ and we now know what it looks like.

Yet another Google Home update rolling out this week speeds up Gemini while adding “Ask Home” functionality to voice commands and more.

“Familiar Faces” in Google Home have been a bit of a mess for years now, but Google is trying to address this pain point of Nest Cam with two key changes – and I’ll take just about anything at this point.

Following months of improvements in early access, Google Home is launching some massive expansions to automations this week, as well as new Nest Cam improvements, both of which are available to all users.

Google today announced a series of May / Spring 2026 updates for the Home app. Besides Nest Cam and automation improvements, the Gemini for Home voice assistant is getting an “intelligence upgrade” with Gemini 3.1.

Following an announcement in early April, Google says that Gemini for Home upgrades are set to roll out more widely in Europe and Asia-Pacific nations this coming week.