- Gemini for Home receives another update
- Continuous Chat is now rolling out to early access users.
- This means that “Hey Google” is not always necessary
The move from Google Assistant to Gemini across Google’s various smart devices hasn’t been entirely seamless, but there are encouraging signs that something is now being done to address the bigger bugs and missing features.
Case in point: Google just announced that the Continuous Conversation feature is now available to users with 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 the Gemini for Home feature.
As the name suggests, this means you can chat longer with Gemini and you won’t have to say “Hey Google” if you stop talking for a few seconds. Your smart devices should keep their lights on so you know they’re still listening and remember the context of when the conversation started.
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Google says Continuous Conversation is smart enough to distinguish between commands and other “side conversations” – so it won’t get confused if you suddenly tell your dog to get off the couch. Or at least that’s the theory.
“Works very well”
The continuing conversation comes to 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 Home Settings > Gemini for Home Voice Assistant > Continuous Chat. Note that Gemini for Home itself is still limited in its availability.
Something similar to continuous conversation was previously available with Google Assistant on smart devices: although the new Gemini was smarter in some ways, Google Assistant devices were able to recognize extended instructions, without the phrase “Hey Google” being used in every space.
So users were very happy to see the feature return: editors say it was “very inconvenient” and “cumbersome” to use Google Home without it, and that the feature had been “really missed” since Gemini took over. For those who got the upgrade, apparently it “works great.”
However, many comments still lament that the Gemini for Home rollout is taking so long, having started in the second half of last year, and that there are still many issues to be resolved.
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