Gemini for Android Auto Could Bring Smart Home Controls to Your Car Dashboard

Last month, Google confirmed that Gemini will be available in Android Auto in the coming months. As we wait for its arrival, a new capability for Gemini for Android Auto has come to light. You will be able to control your smart home from your car dashboard, such as turning off lights or adjusting the thermostat.

Gemini may bring smart home control to Android Auto

Google plans to expand its AI chatbot beyond phones as well as replace the traditional Google Assistant with Gemini later this year. Since it’s coming to Android Auto as well, Google is working on bringing Google Assistant’s capabilities to Gemini. One such capability is managing your smart home from your car.

Folks over at Android Authority recently discovered this development while digging into the Google app beta APK. The teardown revealed a new string referencing a Google Home Gemini extension for controlling devices from your car. The publication says this string points to Android Auto, allowing users to control their smart home from the driver’s seat.

The string reads “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.”

So, once Gemini lands on Android Auto, you will be able to connect your Google Home account to Gemini while in the car. This will allow Gemini to offer smart home control directly from the car’s dashboard. So far, Google has not said anything about Gemini extensions for Android Auto. However, the appearance of the string within its app suggests that internal testing is underway. We will let you know when Google begins rolling out Gemini to Android Auto. Stay tuned.