Gemini for Home in Germany: devices, price, launch

Is Gemini for Home available in Germany?

Yes, but not for everyone yet. Gemini for Home is Google's new voice assistant for speakers and displays. It replaces the original Google Assistant and is based on Gemini, Google's AI. Google announced it on 1 October 2025. According to heise, it launched in Germany in early June 2026 as early access, meaning a preview version for a first group of users.

On its help pages, Google explicitly lists Germany among the early access countries, as well as Austria and Switzerland. German is one of the supported languages. Access is granted gradually: you sign up and get a message in the Google Home app once Gemini for Home is ready for your home.

Google's help pages do not say when the early access phase in Germany will end (as of October 2026).

Which devices work

According to Google, the full set of features is available on these devices: Google Home Speaker (2026), Nest Audio, Nest Mini (2nd gen), Nest Hub (2nd gen) and Nest Hub Max. The English version of Google's help page also lists the Nest Hub (1st gen) and the Google Home Mini (1st gen); the German version does not include these two yet (as of October 2026).

Older devices get most features but not Gemini Live: the original Google Home, Home Max, Nest Wifi points with a speaker and speakers from other manufacturers. Google does not say exactly which third-party devices it means.

The new device is the Google Home Speaker, the first one Google built specifically for Gemini. According to heise, it has been on sale in Germany since 4 August 2026; the German Google Store lists it at 119.99 euros (as of October 2026). According to Google, when you add a Google Home Speaker to your home, you can opt in to Gemini for Home and set it up. According to heise, Google no longer makes the Nest Mini and Nest Audio; the Home Speaker replaces them. If you already own one of them, you can use Gemini on it.

Amazon Echo devices are not on Google's list. An Echo keeps running Amazon's Alexa. If you are looking for Amazon's AI version, it is called Alexa+.

What Gemini for Home costs (as of October 2026)

Free: according to Google, the basic features need no subscription. They include smart home control, music and podcasts, alarms and timers, calendars, notes, lists and reminders, and questions on many topics.

Google Home Premium Standard: 10 euros a month or 100 euros a year. It gives you Gemini Live on speakers and displays, and you can simply describe automations in the Google Home app instead of building them step by step. Cameras get 30 days of video history.

Google Home Premium Advanced: 18 euros a month or 180 euros a year. It adds the Gemini features for cameras and doorbells: descriptions of events, descriptive notifications, a daily summary and search in your video history.

If you subscribe to Google AI Pro for 21.99 euros a month, Google says Home Premium Standard is included at no extra cost; an upgrade to Advanced then costs 7.99 euros a month. When you buy a Google Home Speaker, the Google Store currently offers a 30-day trial of Home Premium Standard, for new subscribers aged 18 and over only. According to heise, buyers got six months until 30 September 2026; that offer has ended.

What Gemini for Home can do

According to Google, you can talk to Gemini for Home in normal language. You do not need to memorise fixed commands and can combine several requests in one sentence, such as: turn off all the lights except in the office. Gemini keeps track of the conversation, so you can ask follow-up questions without repeating everything. You can even find songs by describing what they are about.

You start Gemini Live by saying Hey Google, let's chat. You then have a free conversation, can interrupt and change the subject, for example while cooking or planning. This requires Home Premium.

For cameras, Gemini describes what happened instead of only reporting motion. Each evening a Home Brief summarises the day's most important camera events, and you can ask by voice whether a parcel arrived, for example. According to Google, these camera features are available in Germany in German, but only with the Advanced plan and only for adult home admins.

Our assessment: in its first impression, heise found Gemini more talkative than the old assistant. heise also reported that some users in the US were less impressed because the AI no longer understood simple commands. How reliable Gemini is in everyday use in German is not yet shown by these sources.

How to join early access

According to Google, this is how it works: update the Google Home app. Tap your profile picture at the top right, then Home settings and Early Access. Google also recommends checking in your Google Groups settings that groups are allowed to add you, so that sign-up works.

When it is your turn, you will see the message Introducing Gemini for Home or a banner in Home settings. Tap Get started and follow the steps.

Important before switching: Gemini for Home then applies to everyone in your household and to all compatible devices, including ones you add later. According to Google, you cannot switch back to Google Assistant. You also need a personal Google account; work accounts through Google Workspace are not supported. The assistant's language must be set to a supported language such as German.

Privacy in brief

According to Google, Gemini for Home saves transcripts of your requests and its answers. Audio recordings are only saved if you turn on the setting to improve Google services with voice and audio recordings.

If the Home History activity setting is on, Google says it also uses your requests to improve its services, including training generative AI models. By default, Google deletes the entries after 18 months; you can choose 3 or 36 months or delete everything yourself. Even with the history turned off, requests stay saved for up to 24 hours. Human reviewers, including staff at service providers, read some of the data.

Google states that it does not use your conversations with Gemini for Home for ads. These are the provider's own statements and cannot be verified from the outside.