Automation is half of the reason to invest in smart home devices. A smart speaker, like a Google Nest device, is one of the cheapest ways to make a smart home. Arguably, the most important new feature in Google Home's latest update is a cavalcade of new "starters, conditions, and actions for automation." These are the "if-then statements" of the Google Home network that tell devices what to do and when they should do it. For instance, the update now lets you tell robot vacuums to pause and resume cleaning routines, as well as dock. Moreover, smart locks can regularly check whether they are locked, unlocked, jammed, or ajar. And those are only a sample of the new Google Home automation capabilities.

Of course, you have to program these functions yourself, and this expanded functionality isn't compatible with all potential smart home devices. You can check out the Google Nest help page to get a feel of how to set up automation in the Google Home app, and you need to double-check that your devices are supported. Still, once you have taken the necessary steps, you might never have to worry about starting your coffee machine manually ever again.

The Google Nest Cam is a solid and affordable way to secure your home — assuming you are willing to pay a subscription fee. Now, Gemini can potentially make your home even more secure without overwhelming you with notifications.

The latest Google Nest update revolves around letting cameras and their apps provide "more insights." For instance, thumbnails are now animated clips that zoom into and summarize the focus of their recordings, which can potentially help you skim through saved videos. You can even use different filter options, which ask Gemini to only show you certain videos. Did you come home to broken glasses because an earthquake hit your house, or because your cat decided to become a nuisance? The update lets you quickly suss out the culprit, complete with event descriptions.

Google's latest update is also designed to enhance performance, especially when it comes to facial recognition. Not only does Google claim its face detection capabilities are more accurate, but Google Home now stores a library of recognized faces and automatically disregards "low-quality examples." Plus, you can provide feedback that allegedly will help improve your smart camera's facial recognition skills. Assuming, of course, these cameras aren't fooled by reflective glasses designed to trick facial recognition software.

Technically speaking, Google's latest Google Home Update isn't universal; some lucky individuals who wanted to test early iterations of updates can do so. Everyone with a Google Home network will receive these eventually, but a few testers get it earlier than others, so they can provide feedback that will improve the eventual full release.

One of the early preview features involves using Gemini to do more than just summarize videos. Some Google Home users can now ask Gemini to carry out multi-step voice commands. Well, technically, they can just request a voice command as normal, and Gemini's complex reasoning capabilities will make Google Home perform the task with greater accuracy. Another early preview feature revolves around managing your home via, um, Google Home. If your computer is hooked up to the Google Home network, you can use it to examine your camera's history and create home automation tasks. This feature also extends to more minute control of specific devices.

If you didn't sign up for early access, you will have to wait to use the preview build features, but you can easily request permission for future releases. Well, signing up is easy, but Google has more than one preview program. Depending on the feature you want to try out, you might have to sign up for Early Access (for Gemini for Home), Public Preview (for the Google Home app), or the Preview Program (for smart speakers, displays, and streaming devices). Just make sure you have the requisite devices first.