Gemini for Home update makes your smart display a lot more useful

Credit: Modified from source: Google Published Nov 12, 2026, 4:13 AM EST Sanuj is a freelance tech journalist with over six years of experience covering smartphones, wearables, and consumer technology. He currently writes for Android Police, Tom's Guide, Android Central, Android Authority, and Pocket-lint. He has previously contributed to publications like Pocketnow and MakeUseOf. Since the start of 2025 alone, he has tested over 30 smartphones. He has also attended major global trade shows including MWC (2024, 2025, 2026) and IFA (2024, 2025), along with launch events hosted by Google, Samsung, and other leading Android brands. When he's not writing about tech, you'll find him sipping a cup of chai, scrolling Twitter, and reading updates about his favorite football club, Chelsea FC. Feel free to reach out to him via email at sanujb6 [at] gmail [dot] com. Sign in to your Android Police account Gemini is getting updates all around, with Android Auto gaining Gemini-powered "proactive suggestions." But that isn't the only upgrade Google is rolling out. Alongside Android Auto, Google is also introducing several major improvements to Gemini for Home. Google began replacing Google Assistant with Gemini for Home on smart speakers last year, and since then, the company has been continuously improving its AI-powered assistant. On November 11, 2026, Google announced another update that should make Gemini a little more reliable for everyday use. According to Google's latest release notes, the November 11 update brings several improvements to Gemini for Home. One of the biggest changes is improved smart home controls, with Google making Gemini better at understanding and carrying out commands for connected devices around your home. Google is also speeding up timers and improving how Gemini responds to users. The company says the assistant now responds faster when you set, check, or cancel timers, alarms, and media sleep timers. Broadcasts are also getting faster across your home, with Google saying that broadcast messages will now start playing more quickly across connected speakers and displays. Gemini can now show visual answers on smart displays The biggest change, however, is the addition of visual answers with images on smart displays. If you're using a Nest Hub or another compatible smart display, Gemini can now show relevant images alongside its responses when they're useful. This means you won't always have to rely on spoken answers, especially when asking questions where a picture could provide better context. Beyond Gemini, Google is also introducing a few changes to the Google Home app. There's now a dedicated Google Home Premium section in settings, along with a new Eco Mode Everywhere feature that lets you enable Eco Mode across multiple Nest thermostats in your home with a single tap. The update also includes several fixes for older Nest cameras, including issues that prevented live video feeds from loading on certain network connections. Google has also improved camera playback controls and addressed a few other reliability issues. Google hasn't specified exactly when all these changes will become available, but considering they're already mentioned in the official release notes, we expect them to roll out gradually. Of course, the Gemini for Home improvements will only be available to users currently enrolled in early access. And if you're not seeing them just yet, keep in mind that Google's updates can sometimes take a while to reach everyone.