Google’s plan to phase out Google Assistant and ease everyone into Gemini should’ve been the smooth and carefully managed transition we all deserved. Unfortunately, the whole thing has turned into a confusing mishmash of half-enabled features and devices no longer seem sure of who they’re supposed to listen to anymore.
Considering that Google has practically held a monopoly on Android’s voice and smart-home management for years, many users are stuck. If you aren't willing to go local and self-host your entire smart ecosystem, you don't have many alternatives.
But users aren’t giving up without a fight. A new hack has surfaced and it involves using a link to force open the Home app’s hidden setup page for Gemini. Beyond access to new voices, there's not much else to use. Reddit user u/Siciliano777 discovered it and shared it on the r/googlehome subreddit.
Your Chrome browser is your key to Gemini Home Premium
The Google Home hack basically points to a setup page where you'll enter the following URL.
googlehome://assistant/voice/setup
It seems to be an internal command for developers and engineers. Paste it into your Chrome browser's address bar and select the second suggestion from the top. You'll see a notification asking you to Continue in the Home app. Tap Continue, and you'll suddenly jump into a Gemini setup screen that’s not officially released yet.
I tried it and made it through the entire onboarding flow as if Google had fully rolled out Gemini for Home to my account. I even saw a disclosure page and a message where the company says, “Assistant is gone, Gemini is now your whole-home voice”.
I was offered a 30-day Home Premium trial. But I’m not even sure if this means that the whole thing works the way it’s supposed to. Rollout is currently limited to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Plus, I'm already subscribed to the Gemini AI Pro Student plan, so that could be influencing what the system allows on my account. Plus plus, I don't have smart home devices to try it.
Some Reddit users reported getting only the new Gemini voice, while others got kicked out of the setup flow entirely. Some couldn’t trigger anything at all. I guess we'll have to wait patiently for official access.
Gemini is ambitious, but Google Assistant works better
The new era of Gemini that Google is ushering in promises smarter and less rigid commands. You can have conversations with the assistant and ask follow-up questions through the Live mode.
This way, you can control devices and make plans without opening your phone. Also, security is easier to handle as you can tell your cameras and doorbells what you're looking for, instead of scrolling.
Sadly, many users aren’t even asking for all these features. Several online forums are teeming with users clamoring for the old Google Assistant back. At least, it worked reliably. It wasn’t perfect, but it could set timers, run routines, understand device names, and respond consistently without freezing or misfiring.
