With Gemini slowly but finally rolling out to Google’s smart speakers and displays, I’ve found myself filled with renewed optimism for my stack of devices. The search giant has stripped the platform of countless features over the past couple of years, and even some basic voice commands have failed to function like they once did. I’m not alone — hundreds of users have voiced the same complaint about Google Home across social media.
Luckily, Gemini looks like it’s on track to revive Google Home’s usefulness but I’m equally concerned that it will introduce problems of its own. Given that I already have Google’s AI Pro subscription, I’m also looking forward to using Gemini Live — the two-way voice conversation feature that won’t require a wakeword every single time. However, after extensively using it on my phone, my excitement levels for the feature’s expansion have been significantly dampened.