Google Assistant | The Verge The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in video, and in podcasts. 2026-08-05T11:12:50+00:00 https://www.theverge.com/rss/google-assistant/index.xml https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/verge-rss-large_80b47e.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1 Dominic Preston <![CDATA[Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=975516 2026-08-05T07:12:50-04:00 2026-08-05T07:12:50-04:00 Google Assistant
Farewell, Google Assistant art, we hardly knew ye. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google Assistant's days have been numbered ever since Gemini arrived on the scene, and its time is now up. Google has announced that it will be removing access to Assistant on Android phones and tablets, along with paired devices like smartwatches or headphones, from September 4th.

The announcement came in an email apparently sent to some users, as reported by 9to5Google and shared in full on Reddit. The Verge has asked Google for confirmation that the email is accurate, and will update this story once we have it.

"We will begin removing access to Google Assistant starting on 4 September," Google states in the email, "and expect that this …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[Google’s first smart speaker in six years arrives next week]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=951147 2026-06-17T11:06:26-04:00 2026-06-17T09:00:00-04:00 Google Home Speaker
The Google Home Speaker comes in four colors, including porcelain. (Stroopwafel not included.) | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Google's first new smart speaker in six years starts shipping on June 25th, narrowly missing its promised spring launch window. Preorders for the Google Home Speaker open today, June 17th.

Nothing has changed hardware-wise in the nine months since the $99 speaker was announced. It has the same slightly squished round design, with touch-capacitive buttons on top and a light ring at the bottom to indicate status. And it still comes in four colors: porcelain (white), hazel (black), jade (green), and berry (red). The last two are US-only.

Google Home Speaker

Google's first smart home speaker in six years is built for Gemini for Home. It has 360 …

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]]> Stevie Bonifield <![CDATA[Google will settle its Assistant spying lawsuit for $68 million]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=868078 2026-01-27T05:32:35-05:00 2026-01-26T14:45:53-05:00

Google could owe you some money, now that it's moving to settle a class action lawsuit over how it handled recordings captured when its devices were activated by something other than Google Assistant's actual trigger word, "Ok Google." German outlet VRT NWS's 2019 report exposed the issue, and court filings from last Friday say the proposed settlement number is $68 million, as reported previously by Reuters.

The lawsuit accuses Google of "unlawful and intentional recording of individuals' confidential communications without their consent," during these "False Accepts." VRT NWS reported that human workers who analyzed Assistant audio clips …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[How AI broke the smart home in 2025 ]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=845958 2025-12-25T12:04:41-05:00 2025-12-23T08:30:00-05:00

This morning, I asked my Alexa-enabled Bosch coffee machine to make me a coffee. Instead of running my routine, it told me it couldn't do that. Ever since I upgraded to Alexa Plus, Amazon's generative-AI-powered voice assistant, it has failed to reliably run my coffee routine, coming up with a different excuse almost every time I ask.

It's 2025, and AI still can't reliably control my smart home. I'm beginning to wonder if it ever will.

The potential for generative AI and large language models to take the complexity out of the smart home, making it easier to set up, use, and manage connected devices, is compelling. So is the promise of a " …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[Camera support could be the boost Matter needs]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=821707 2025-11-20T12:37:40-05:00 2025-11-20T08:00:00-05:00 Smart home cameras on a purple background
The Matter smart home standard is adding cameras to its latest spec.

It's finally happening. Three years after Matter launched, the interoperability standard now includes the most popular smart home devices: cameras.

The Matter 1.5 spec, announced today, adds support for all types of video cameras - from indoor and outdoor, wired and battery-powered cameras, to video doorbells, baby monitors, pet cams, and more. Matter support should be possible with an OTA update, so some of your existing cameras could become Matter-compatible. The new spec also adds garage door controllers, soil sensors, bi-directional charging for EVs, and more advanced integration with utilities for energy management.

So far, cameras ha …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[Google says its confusing Gemini Home rollout is going just great]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=817668 2025-11-10T15:02:57-05:00 2025-11-10T15:02:57-05:00
Gemini is the new smart home voice assistant slowly rolling out to Google’s smart displays and smart speakers.

Google started rolling out its new Gemini voice assistant for its smart speakers two weeks ago and, in a blog post marking the anniversary, the company seems to think everything is going great. It's even quoting a user who said, "My Google Home just got upgraded with Gemini. It's actually useful now beyond asking for today's weather." That's some not-so-subtle shade right there.

But dig into the post's FAQ, and things don't look so rosy. Two of the most frequently asked questions from those who have the new assistant are:

  • Gemini for Home voice assistant is not fully understanding my query… (Example: I tried to set an alarm for 5pm but it …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[Hands-free home security is here, thanks to ADT and Google — but it’ll cost you]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=803867 2025-10-23T12:47:38-04:00 2025-10-23T08:00:00-04:00 A white hub on a sideboard in a home.
The base is the hub of the ADT Plus system.

My front door unlocks automatically as I walk up to it, and the home security system disarms itself - no code or app required. The system has recognized me using the Google Nest Doorbell's Familiar Faces, and confirmed I'm me using my phone's location. The dual-factor authentication triggers the automatic disarming and unlocking, so all I have to do is walk inside.

This hands-free Auto Unlock experience is powered by ADT Plus, the newest security system from America's oldest security company. It features the usual hardware - a base, sensors, and various accessories - but represents a major upgrade from fumbling for keys or racing to silence …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[The problems with AI in the smart home]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=796138 2025-10-08T18:24:34-04:00 2025-10-08T12:00:00-04:00

Last week, Amazon and Google kick-started what could be the next chapter of the smart home. Their new voice assistants, Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home, have been rebuilt from the ground up on generative AI and large language models to be more conversational, understand context, and take actions. This marks the biggest shift in home control since the companies launched their original smart speakers over a decade ago.

In the years since, smart home adoption has stalled - because it's complicated and confusing, and the value isn't always clear. Google and Amazon are betting on this new wave of AI-powered intelligence to deliver a smarter, simp …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[Google hints at a new Nest Hub]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=794298 2025-10-07T17:31:07-04:00 2025-10-07T10:04:14-04:00 Two smart displays on a table with a red background.
Google says it’s committed to the smart display category, meaning we may see new versions of its Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max “soon.”

Last week, Google announced a new smart speaker for its AI-infused Gemini smart home platform, but there was no sign of a new smart display. The good news for fans of Google's Nest Hubs is that Google Home's Anish Kattukaran tells The Verge the company is "definitely committed to smart displays," and that they'll "have news to share there soon."

"It feels like almost the ultimate form factor to be able to deliver a really great home experience"

In an interview on The Vergecast this week, Kattukaran explained that smart displays are very much part of Google's plans. "[The smart display] does present itself as an incredible form factor to …

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]]> Jennifer Pattison Tuohy <![CDATA[I tried Amazon and Google’s new smart home gadgets, ask me anything!]]> https://www.theverge.com/?p=790817 2025-12-04T15:11:29-05:00 2025-10-03T09:03:07-04:00 An illustration of a woman surrounded by two smart speakers on a blue background
The Verge’s senior reviewer, Jen Tuohy, is taking your questions about Amazon and Google’s new devices.

Hi! I'm Jennifer Pattison Tuohy (aka Jen), The Verge's smart home reviewer. I just spent the last week in New York City checking out the new smart displays, smart speakers, smart voice assistants, and smart security cameras launched by Amazon and Google. I haven't tested any of them yet, but I've had some hands-on time with the new gadgets and spoken with folks at both companies about the new features.

I'm hosting a subscriber-only AMA on the site today, Friday, October 3rd. Just ask your questions in the comments on this post, and my editor, Nathan Edwards, and I will join you here at 1 PM ET to answer as many as we can.

Read the full story at The Verge.

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