If you’ve noticed your Nest Mini or Nest Audio speaker lighting up in a new, rainbow-like shimmer, you’re not imagining things.
Google has quietly begun rolling out a firmware update that ties these older smart speakers to the company’s next-gen Gemini AI platform, bringing more conversational smarts and visual flair to your home.
TechRadar’s report on the rollout confirms the upgrade is already reaching users in the Preview Program.
This is part of Google’s broader plan to weave Gemini into every corner of its ecosystem — from phones to thermostats.
The shift aligns neatly with Google’s recent Gemini for Home initiative announced during I/O 2025, which aims to turn smart speakers into proactive home assistants capable of planning schedules, answering follow-up questions, and even predicting user needs.
It’s not just about talking back anymore; it’s about thinking ahead.
The move also ramps up competition with Amazon’s Alexa, which just got its own AI-driven refresh that emphasizes natural conversations and proactive learning, as detailed in The Verge’s breakdown of Alexa’s new generative model.
Suddenly, your kitchen counter might become the most competitive AI battlefield of 2025.
Beyond the fun lights and snappier responses, this update hints at something deeper: Google’s push toward long-term hardware relevance.
As pointed out by CNBC’s coverage of the company’s sustainability focus, extending AI capabilities to older devices reduces e-waste and keeps users locked into the ecosystem longer — a clever mix of ethics and economics.
Still, there’s a catch. The Gemini upgrade may demand more processing power and cloud dependency than older hardware can gracefully handle.
Users in Reddit’s smart-home communities have already noted slight lag and connectivity hiccups since the update dropped.
Whether that’s teething issues or a sign that Google’s stretching these speakers to their limit remains to be seen.
It’s a fascinating moment, though. For all the talk about cutting-edge AI, this update proves that innovation sometimes arrives in your living room quietly, wrapped in a soft glow, asking if you’d like to hear some music — and maybe run your entire household while it’s at it.
