Google has added a September 30, 2026 entry to its Google Home release notes, and it is a long one. The list runs to nearly 20 separate fixes and improvements. They span the Gemini for Home voice assistant, the Home app’s device controls, device setup, cameras and automations. Google did not attach a version number to the update.
What’s new for Gemini in Google Home
The Early Access assistant takes up the largest share of the changelog. Google says it has improved how Gemini separates your command from the rest of the room.
We’ve improved how Gemini filters out background conversations in your home, so you should experience fewer instances where Gemini ignores a command you gave to it.
Find My Phone requests should also go through more reliably. Google further lists faster responses to common commands and better understanding in multilingual households. Custom Routine commands are described as more dependable too.
One long-running annoyance is listed as fixed. Gemini could fall into a conversation loop where it kept replying that it had not understood you. That loop should no longer happen.
Device controls in the Home app
The most practical fix here involves lights. Dragging brightness down to 0% now actually powers the light off, rather than leaving it sitting at zero and still drawing power. Camera and doorbell tiles also show their online and offline state more clearly now.
Three smaller bugs are gone as well. Matter switches were showing an incorrect offline status, and that display is corrected. The long-press gesture on Favorites tiles works again. Window coverings are detected by their real type, so awnings and curtains are no longer treated as blinds.
Setup and cameras
Setting up a Nest device should fail less often, thanks to fixes in the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi pairing steps. Adding further devices to an existing home is faster, because the app now reuses cached network credentials instead of asking again.
On the camera side, doorbells gain a preview for the chime sound, including seasonal and holiday themes. The rest of the camera work is bug fixing. Google lists four separate playback fixes:
- Buffering during video playback
- False errors claiming a video was not available
- Timeline loading on Walmart Onn cameras
- Progress-bar scrubbing on paused video in the iOS app
Automations
Only one item lands here. Automations involving multi-button switches and subdevices were missing the parent device’s name. Those names now appear.
One odd detail
Google’s smart home software has had a rough few weeks. A separate Nest Doorbell bug made Gemini speak in an unexpected US accent, a reminder that this changelog is patching a system still finding its footing.
Droid Life spotted the changelog on September 30 and captured the full text. The outlet also noted that the entry briefly disappeared after going up. It is live on Google’s own support page as of publication, with every item intact. The changelog entry itself does not list a rollout schedule for the changes.
Sources: Google, Droid Life
