Google expands Gemini built in to speakers

Google said on May 21 that it is widening the ways Gemini reaches the home, adding a “Gemini built in” program for more third-party devices and expanding access to Gemini for Home for carriers and hardware makers. The move extends Google’s smart-home AI push beyond Nest-branded hardware and the Google Home app, according to reports by 9to5Google and Android Central. Google has not yet named all of the speaker brands that will use the program, but it said broader third-party speaker support is coming later this year. The expansion follows Google’s October 2025 launch of Gemini for Home and new hardware built around the service. ### What exactly is “Gemini built in” changing? Google described “Gemini built in” as a turnkey solution for third-party brands that want Gemini features on devices outside the Nest ecosystem, 9to5Google reported on May 21. The program includes reference designs with the hardware needed to build Gemini-capable products, with Google focusing on cameras and speakers. (9to5google.com) Google’s developer materials say camera makers can use a Camera Reference Design to shorten development cycles for Gemini-capable cameras. For 2026, Google added a Speaker Reference Design that lets partners build high-fidelity speakers supporting the “full Gemini voice experience,” acting as a command center for the home, according to 9to5Google’s report of Google’s announcement. (9to5google.com) ### Which devices and companies are part of this expansion? Speakers are the clearest new hardware category in the May 21 expansion. 9to5Google said Google had already used the reference-design approach for cameras, pointing to Walmart’s Onn devices as an earlier example of partner hardware built on the program. Walmart was also cited by 9to5Google as a possible early speaker partner after an Onn-branded Gemini smart speaker leaked, though Google did not identify the brands shown in teaser imagery. (9to5google.com) Google’s own Google Home Speaker, first announced in October 2025 as the company’s first audio device built specifically for Gemini, also still lacks a firm release date, according to Google’s earlier announcement and 9to5Google’s May 21 report. ### What does Google mean by expanding access beyond device makers? Android Central reported on May 21 that Google is also opening Gemini for Home to more developers, companies and service providers, alongside hardware makers. 9to5Google separately reported that carriers and internet service providers will be able to integrate Google Home Premium and Gemini features into their own apps and services. AT&T was named by 9to5Google as an example of that approach. (9to5google.com) The report said AT&T would use the integration in its Connected Life security service, including Nest Cam AI features. ### How does this fit with Google’s earlier Gemini for Home rollout? Google launched Gemini for Home in October 2025 as an AI upgrade for speakers, displays, cameras, doorbells and the Google Home app. (androidcentral.com) In that launch, Google said Gemini would replace Google Assistant on existing speakers and displays and introduced Google Home Premium as the subscription layer for more advanced features. (9to5google.com) Google also said in October 2025 that it was working with partners to offer more form factors, price points and designs across the home. The May 21 expansion gives that partner strategy more concrete shape by adding speaker reference designs and broader access for outside hardware and service providers. That reading is an inference from Google’s October 2025 and May 2026 materials. (blog.google) ### What should readers watch for next? Later in 2026, Google said more third-party smart speakers using Gemini built in are expected to reach the market, according to 9to5Google’s May 21 report. Google’s developer site is also continuing to post Gemini for Home partner updates, including camera reference-design materials and Home API releases. (blog.google) A separate milestone still pending is the release date for Google’s own Google Home Speaker. As of May 21, 9to5Google said that device was due to launch but had not been given a firm date. (9to5google.com)