Gemini may soon let you control your smart home from your car
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is working on giving Gemini the ability to control your smart home from your car.
- Gemini will be able to manage all Home devices connected to your account.
Google Assistant for Android Auto and Automotive is a great hands-free tool for handling a variety of tasks while on the road. One such task you can use the digital assistant for is controlling your smart home from the car. When Gemini eventually replaces Assistant on Android Auto and Automotive, it should be able to do everything Assistant can do and more, including controlling your smart home.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Our most recent discovery comes from an APK teardown of the Google app (version 16.24.66.sa.arm64 beta). While intevestigating, we stumbled onto a string of code referencing a Google Home Gemini extension for controling your devices from your car. We believe this string is in relation to Android Auto, specifically.
Code
<string name="assistant_robin_car_extension_consent_tts_for_home">Do you want to connect to Google Home? Gemini will manage all of the Google Home devices linked to your account, including devices you may share with other household members. Gemini will access data like your home activity history, and may also share parts of your chats with Google Home to improve Home services. Tap yes on your car screen to connect</string> The string mentions connecting to Google Home, which you’ll be able to accept or decline. If you accept, Gemini will be able to manage all of the Home devices linked to your account. It’s also mentioned that Gemini will access data, like your home activity history, and may share chats with Home to improve its services.
It was expected that Gemini would use extensions on Android Auto and Automotive. However, Google has yet to say anything about it. So this appears to be our first confirmation that the tech giant is working on the functionality.
