What you need to know
- Google’s rolling out an early smart home update to users, adding personalization to its camera AI, called “Pet Memory.”
- Through Ask Home, users can make sure the AI knows their pet’s name and type, so when it alerts them, it’s more accurate and specific.
- This update also expands Home Brief to several more “support markets,” while Gemini for Home voice assistance heads to Germany.
Consistency has been the name of the game for Google Home, and there’s another round of updates headed to users this week.
As usual, Google shared its release notes in its Nest community, highlighting the three major updates it’s bringing to users. Kicking things off is another camera AI feature called “Pet Memory.” Leaving the house for extended periods with a dog or a cat at home can feel daunting, but Google says it’s personalizing how your cameras perceive your pets. As the name implies, Pet Memory allows your cameras to “remember key details about your pets.”
Android Central’s Take
Keeping tabs on the home means keeping tabs on everyone you love, including your pets. This could be seen as a smaller update which, in fact, the entire early June patch is light. Still, these small enhancements to Google’s smart home AI focus on being informational. Like I said, keeping tabs on the home includes the furry ones we leave behind for a few hours.
As an example, your camera would say, “Bandit is in the living room right now.” Google says this small, but personal change will replace the stiff “a dog is walking…” statement. If you’re interested, the patch notes state users can personalize their camera’s Pet Memory by heading into Ask Home. Users can “share their pet’s name and type” with the AI, so the next time they cross the camera’s FOV (field of view), its statement is accurate.
Elsewhere, Google is expanding Home Brief to more “supported markets.” Users can find a comprehensive list of all supported countries joining the U.S. for Home Brief. This feature lets users ask their smart home AI via voice to search through live videos. “Broad summaries” of the day are also possible with Home Brief.
Another expansion comes to users in Germany, as Google brings in Gemini for Home voice assistant.
Keeping the momentum
It’s only been a week since Google Home improved camera events to the point that they could become automations. Our smart home cameras keep a watchful eye, but there are some occurrences that happen pretty frequently. In this scenario, users can take a look at what their cameras have seen and create an automation based on that event. This is useful for deliveries, pests in the yard, and more.
This update also brought faster response times for common requests given to Gemini, alongside media control updates. Ask Home made the news recently, too. Public Preview users can now access Ask Home on the Web. From your computer, users can check “camera history, devices, or create new automations.”
