Gemini's colours appear on Nest speakers, signalling potential assistant takeover

Screenshot: Reddit

Google's artificial assistant, Gemini, is starting to show its true colours on Nest smart speakers. Some Reddit users and 9to5Google report seeing a blue-and-purple gradient on their Nest Audio devices, replacing the usual white LEDs.

This colour scheme is distinctly associated with Gemini, which Google has been testing as a replacement for Assistant on select Nest speakers since December. The visual change is seen for users enrolled in the Google Home Public Preview with "Experimental AI features" enabled and running Cast firmware 3.75.468348. Notably, the 2nd-gen Nest Mini hasn't shown the same update, and Nest Hubs are yet to be included in the Gemini testing.

This aesthetic shift hints at a potential branding evolution. While Google initially stated that "Gemini models" would improve Google Assistant, recent terminology suggests a move towards a unified "Gemini" brand. The upgrade on Android TV is now called "Gemini on Google TV," and the appearance of Gemini's colours on Nest Audio implies a similar rebranding might be in store for Nest speakers and smart displays.

SOURCE: 1 + 2