Google has opened its Gemini for Home platform to third-party manufacturers, offering the full AI stack alongside hardware reference designs in a push to extend its smart home intelligence beyond the devices Google builds itself.
The programme makes three core Gemini features available to hardware partners according to Google’s developer blog, which allows the assistant to scan security footage and surface specific moments on request; Ask Home, which handles natural language control across connected devices; and Home Brief, which generates daily summaries drawn from sensor and camera data across the household
Alongside the software stack, Google offers hardware blueprints that specify recommended components, including microprocessors, camera modules, and microphones, thereby reducing the research and development burden for manufacturers entering the programme and shortening the path to a compatible product.
The first two device categories Google plans to support through the reference design programme are smart cameras and smart speakers, with the blueprints covering Hi-Fi speaker construction and high-resolution security camera hardware for partners who want to build Gemini-ready products without designing from scratch.
That support extends beyond device makers to network providers, with Google confirming a partnership with AT&T to bring Gemini-powered insights into the carrier’s Connected Life app, a signal that the company views ISPs and carriers as a meaningful distribution channel for its smart home intelligence layer.
Google has a history of embedding its assistant technology into third-party hardware, having previously worked with Bose, JBL, Lenovo, and Sony on devices carrying Google Assistant natively, though that earlier push produced mixed commercial results for the platform.
The commercial incentive behind the expanded programme is also worth noting, as Gemini for Home requires an active subscription to function, meaning each new compatible device Google helps bring to market represents a potential additional subscriber rather than simply a hardware sale.
Google has opened a registration form for manufacturers interested in joining the programme, though it has not confirmed whether participation will be restricted to established brands or open to smaller developers.
