Google Expands Gemini AI Integration with New Natural Voices for Nest Speakers

Google is adding three new "natural" Gemini voices to Nest speakers

Google is adding three new Gemini-powered voices to the Nest Mini and Nest Audio smart speakers, bringing the number of Gemini-powered voices on those speakers to a respectable ten. Google starts the Gemini-fication of some Nest speakers in the wild Complete with telltale RGB lights Posts 3 This comes as part of Google's continued push to merge its new Gemini AI with the existing Google Assistant on its Nest speakers, and likely brings us one step closer to an eventual retirement of the venerable Assistant altogether. New voices are available in the preview build Experimental, and possibly only available in the US The three new voices join the seven added in December of 2024, and like the seven beforehand, the new three are all named after plants. Here are the three new voices and how Google describes them: Yarrow: Warm, deeper voice Croton: Smooth, deeper voice Pilea: Bright, higher voice The other seven, "improved Assistant voices", as Google terms it, are the following: Aloe: Calm, mid-range voice Oxalis: Bright, mid-range voice Fern: Bright, higher voice Verbena: Calm, deeper voice Ivy: British accent, mid-range voice Jade: Engaging, mid-range voice Eucalyptus: Australian Accent, higher voice These new voices aren't available to everyone though, as not only will you need those specific Nest Home devices, you'll also need to be enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview program -- and even then, you'll need to make sure the "Experimental AI features" is enabled too. But even then, you might not be able to access them, as multiple comments on the original article have posited that the feature is US-only -- though even some US-based users aren't able to access it. It's likely Google is rolling this out to a specific group of users, and the only way to know if you have it is to check. If you want to know if you have the new voices, you'll need to make sure "Experimental AI features" is enabled by tapping the Beaker icon in the Google Home app. Then, head to your Google Home Settings, select Google Assistant, then Assistant voice & sounds. If you, like me, don't have access to the new voices, well, you can at least enjoy the video uploaded by 9to5 Google. I'm personally quite fond of Eucalyptus's Australian tones, but Croton's smooth voice is also quite soothing. I would happily listen to Croton read me a bedtime story. On the whole, the Gemini rollout to Google's smart speakers has been a positive one, but it's highly likely the Assistant monikor will be retired when the rollout is completed, as happened on Google TV. That will be a sad farewell, but frankly, "Assistant" as a name does feel outdated in 2025. Related Gemini can't come to Google's smart speakers soon enough If I hear one more 'Sorry, I didn't understand'... Posts 20

Google releases three new Gemini-Assistant voices for Nest Mini, Audio [Video]

As part of bringing Gemini (models) to Assistant on the Nest Mini and Audio, Google is adding more natural voices. Following the initial seven options added in December, Google recently introduced three more voices. The new options are once again named after plants: They join the existing "Improved Assistant voices" at the bottom: If you're enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview program, make sure the "Experimental AI features" toggle is enabled. Tap the beaker icon in the top-right corner of the Google Home app to check. Afterwards, go to the Google Home Settings tab > Google Assistant > Assistant voice & sounds. (On iOS, you might have to go to "Manage all Assistant settings" to access.) Google started testing a Gemini-powered Google Assistant in December on the Nest Mini and Audio. The Gemini models are used to "respond to a wider range of questions and provide more in-depth, AI-powered answers on general knowledge topics." When it finally launches on smart speakers and displays, Google might drop the "Assistant" brand entirely for Gemini, which is what happened on Google TV.