Google Home Speaker review – Gemini enters your smart home
24/6/2026
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Pictures: Michelle Brändle
The Google Home Speaker runs on Google’s AI Gemini, giving it near-endless possibilities for your smart home. They didn’t offer me much added value, though.
It’s been almost six years since the release of Google’s last smart speaker, the Google Nest Audio. Now, Google’s Home Speaker offers a successor that scores points with its Gemini AI integration. It allows you to have natural conversations with the speaker and give it several commands at once.
Cute design
The Google Home Speaker is very compact at just eight centimetres in height and a diameter of 34 centimetres. Its round design and fabric cover make for a cute look. It’s available in black or white in our shop, with the LED ring on the speaker’s base adding a splash of colour. It lights up when Gemini is listening (in all colours), thinking (blue-violet) or speaking (white).
Google has kept buttons to the absolute minimum – there’s just one, which mutes the microphone. When muted, the ring glows orange permanently. The lighting can also be turned off entirely. To skip, rewind or pause a track, Google relies on three touch controls that light up with small white LEDs when used.
There are no ports – the power cable is permanently attached, with a USB-C plug at the end. A power adapter is included. At 150 centimetres, the cable isn’t especially long, but it’s plenty for me. It’s a shame the Home Speaker doesn’t run on a battery. I’d like to be able to take it into the kitchen or bathroom to keep listening to music.
For sound, Google has fitted a 58 mm driver. It delivers even sound all round – and packs quite a punch for the speaker’s compact size. You can also pair two of these speakers wirelessly with your TV.
Easy setup over Wi-Fi
Setting up the speaker is simple in theory. I plug the device in, and it immediately prompts me to install and set up the Google Home app with a Google account. It takes me three attempts, though, because the speaker doesn’t recognise my guest Wi-Fi. Out of necessity, I use my regular Wi-Fi on the third try – that works.
I can add each of my smart devices to Google Home. That way, Gemini can control everything. Mind you, my only smart device is my Xiaomi fan, because I think smart gadgets are quite stupid on the whole. But I link up the fan anyway. The Xiaomi app (along with numerous other smart apps) and my fan connect to Google Home and work without any issues. More on that below.
Access to Gemini, always
I use the Google Home Speaker for pretty much just music. The assistant only controls Spotify and YouTube by voice command, though Gemini can answer questions about the songs I play through my preferred app, Tidal.
Besides music, the Home Speaker has two main uses: as an assistant for my smart home, and as a stationary AI for the «big» questions of everyday life.
The linked fan is also limited in what it can do via Google Home. For instance, in the Xiaomi app, I can set a timer. Gemini can only switch the device on and off, or select one of the three fan speeds. To its credit, it does that reliably and quickly.
Gemini makes controlling my smart devices easy. Unlike with the old Google Assistant, I only need to say «Hey Google» right at the start – and follow up with further commands. If your home is smarter than mine, you can give Gemini several tasks at once.
Gemini even understands Swiss German, and I find that I can phrase commands however comes naturally to me. Sometimes, the voice assistant even replies in Swiss German – albeit in a jumble of different dialects. It’s less good at understanding longer conversations.
That brings me to the next function of the Google Home Speaker: conversations with Gemini. I sometimes have these on my smartphone – if it’s within reach. In that sense, the speaker is more convenient.
The possibilities are vast: setting timers, writing shopping lists or getting an explanation as to why I shouldn’t put my Teflon pan in the dishwasher. Alongside all that, I can still control my smart devices. Sometimes, though, when I mix conversation with commands, the AI grumbles that it can’t access the device. Sometimes it takes two tries.
After it answers a question, I can ask follow-up questions. It’s annoying that Gemini always asks whether there’s anything else it can do for me – even after a «No, thanks».
Data protection and privacy: a tricky subject?
If you want to control your home with the Home Speaker, there’s no getting around Google’s servers. So here’s the key information you need to know.
In standby mode, the Google Home Speaker listens out for the activation phrase «Hey Google». Only once it detects this does it begin to record and transmit data. Spoken requests are then sent to Google’s servers and processed in its cloud. According to Google, however, this data is only ever processed in encrypted form.
When you use the smart services, Google also collects technical data such as your IP address and Wi-Fi connection. It’s worth knowing that Google stores commands for 24 hours in order to carry them out correctly. If you turn off history, the commands are automatically deleted after 24 hours.
If you don’t want Gemini listening to you, the most important setting is the physical button that switches off the microphone. Beyond that, here are further ways to protect your privacy:
- Delete history: In the Google Home app, you can see your saved voice history and delete it there. You can also turn on automatic deletion.
- View personal data: You can restrict whether the speaker can access your private data, such as contacts, calendar and notes. You can also have Gemini forget saved addresses or Wi-Fi passwords.
- Guest mode: For visitors, you can set up a guest mode in which the speaker doesn’t draw on your personal data.
- Memory function: Gemini can now remember past information. You can turn off this feature in your account.
My advice: share as little private information with Gemini as possible. It doesn’t actually need it to serve as a smart-home assistant and DJ.
In a nutshell
Gemini helps in all areas
If you’ve kitted out your home with smart devices, the Google Home Speaker is a real asset. You can give Gemini complex tasks or have it carry out several commands in a row.
You can also have conversations with the AI and ask it to play your favourite music while cooking. Sometimes, though, the assistant needs a second go; controlling your smart devices and getting answers to everyday questions don’t always go hand in hand.
If you have privacy concerns, there are a few settings you can adjust – or you can physically switch off the microphone on the device. Because even just for music, the Google Home Speaker is a cool little device that doesn’t take up much space and delivers good sound. It’s a shame you have to keep it plugged in and can’t carry it around.
Pro
- Compact, timeless design
- Good sound quality for music
- Versatile thanks to Gemini
Contra
- Only usable while plugged in
- Gemini makes mistakes
- Data is forwarded for processing
Header image: Michelle Brändle
Ever since I learned how to hold a pen, I've been doodling away in bright colours. Thanks to my iPad, digital art has also become part of my life. That's why I love testing tablets – from the graphic design range to the regular kind. When I feel the urge to express my creativity without lugging lots of equipment, I go for the latest smartphones and start snapping away.
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