Google Assistant is getting a big Gemini upgrade for your smart home — here’s what to expect

5 days ago 4

Earlier this year Google announced that Google Assistant would be getting some improvements, all thanks to the Gemini AI. The idea is that Assistant will be a lot more conversational, so the user feels less like they’re talking to a robot and more like there could be a real person on the other end of the line.

Sadly, Google didn’t specify when this change would be happening, or what those changes might actually be. Now a new APK teardown from the latest version of the Google app by 9to5Google may have revealed some details about how this upgrade will work on smart displays and speakers.

Snippets in the app refer to “Introducing an improved Assistant," most likely some sort of an introductory notice informing users that something has changed. With that the code mentions that this new Assistant will offer “Richer Responses” that lets users “hear complex topics summarized quickly and clearly” and “Better Understanding” that lets you pause, ask multiple questions or change your mind — while still ensuring Assistant understands what you want and how to help.

On top of that, Assistant will have access to new voices which are “more natural” that make it easier to “interact with your speakers and displays." So no more dealing with the same boring Assistant voices that barely sound like real people going forward.

These changes haven’t been enabled yet, which means we’ll need to be a little more patient before Assistant can get the Gemini-infused upgrade we’ve been waiting for. On top of that, the longer we have to wait the more Google could change things. But it’s good to see that Google Assistant is evolving behind the scenes, and Google is leveraging its AI advancements in other parts of the business.

Considering how many smart devices run Google Assistant, this could be a huge change for a lot of people. Let’s just hope that Google doesn’t take too long to start rolling it out to everyone.