- Gemini for Home is getting another update
- Continued Conversation is now rolling out to Early Access users
- This means that “hey Google” is not always necessary
The switch from Google Assistant to Gemini on Google’s various smart home devices hasn’t exactly been seamless, but there are encouraging signs that something is now being done about the most significant bugs and missing features.
Case in point: Google just announced that the Continued Conversation feature is coming to users who have early access to Gemini for Home. The feature does not require a subscription and is available in all languages and regions – provided you already have Gemini for Home functionality.
As the name suggests, this means you can have longer chats with Gemini and not have to say “hey Google” again if you stop talking for a few seconds. Your smart devices should keep their LEDs on so you know they’re still listening and will remember the context from earlier in the conversation.
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Google says Continued Conversation is smart enough to distinguish between commands and other “side chatter” – so it won’t get confused if you suddenly ask your dog to get off the sofa. Or at least that’s the theory.
‘Works well’
Continued conversation arrives at Gemini for Home from r/googlehome
To see if it’s available to you, in the Google Home app, tap your profile picture (top right), then tap Home Settings > Gemini for Home voice assistant > Continue conversation. Note that Gemini for Home itself is still limited in its availability.
Something similar to Continued Conversation was previously available with Google Assistant on smart devices: Although the new Gemini is smarter in a few ways, Google Assistant devices were able to recognize extended instructions without the phrase “hey Google” being used every time.
Users have therefore been very happy to see the feature return: Redditors say that it has been “very awkward” and “cumbersome” to use Google Home without it, and that the feature had been “really missed” since Gemini took over. For those who have received the upgrade, it “seems to be working great”.
However, there are still plenty of comments bemoaning the fact that the Gemini for Home rollout is taking so long after starting in the second half of last year, and that there are still more issues to fix.
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