Say what? If you’re hearing a new and more natural voice coming from your Google smart speakers, you’re not the only one.
A smattering of Google Home users are reporting that their Nest speakers are—when asked the right voice command—chatting with a new voice, a sign that the promised Gemini makeover for Google Assistant is starting to roll out.
In a video posted on Reddit, a Google Nest Mini user asked “Hey Google, what’s up,” and got an unusually loquacious reply in a new voice:
“What’s happening right now is that we’re on a giant rock moving through space at 1,000 miles an hour and orbiting a giant star made up mostly of hydrogen. Also, we’re chatting, which I enjoy.”
When the Nest user asked a more basic follow-up question about the weather, Google Assistant answered in its regular voice with a typical weather report.
According to 9to5Google, you can tell if the Gemini-enhanced Assistant has made its way to your Nest speakers by asking, “Hey Google, what’s up?” If the answer is “I’m just putting the finishing touches on my New Year’s plan” (as I got from my Nest Hub Max), your device hasn’t received the new Google Assistant yet.
Google announced back in August that Google Assistant on Nest speakers would be getting a Gemini-powered makeover, with a voice that sounds “more natural to talk to” while also being able to “understand you better.”
It’s not clear how extensive Google Assistant’s Gemini improvements will be, although we probably shouldn’t expect a full-on “advanced voice mode” à la ChatGPT. Instead, users should simply expect a more natural and less “stilted” back-and-forth with the Assistant, without the need for the “Hey Google” wake words when asking follow-up questions.
The old Google Assistant will handle “basic” commands like “what’s the weather,” while the Gemini-infused Google Assistant will tackle “more conversational” questions, 9to5Google notes. What’s most interesting about the new Google Assistant is that it will be coming to all existing Nest speakers and displays, including the diminutive Nest Mini.
That’s the same strategy as Amazon, which has also said that it’s “remarkable” (and delayed) new Alexa experience will be coming to all its Echo speakers. Apple Intelligence, on the other hand, will be restricted to Apple devices with the requisite hardware, meaning the existing HomePod and HomePod mini will have to do without. The rumored smart home “command center” that Apple has supposedly teed up for next spring will support Apple Intelligence, according to the latest chatter.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.