No Gemini On The Google TV Streamer Begs The Question: Why Buy ‘Made By Google’?

Joe Maring / Android Authority

Yesterday, during The Android Show, Google announced a bunch of Gemini improvements that are coming to its hardware and software fleet. One of these is the integration of Gemini in Google TV, with Google promising better video recommendations and answers, and… that’s it. Obviously, I expect more from Gemini on the largest screen in my home, like simpler smart home commands without having to remember exact device names or command structures, and proper Gemini Live conversations with visual cues coming straight onto the TV.

Google hasn’t detailed these — maybe it will during I/O later this month? — but it did tell us that Gemini is coming to a TCL Google TV first. There’s no known launch time for Google’s own TV Streamer or other Google Home/Nest devices. As an owner of all of these across my home, I feel more than snuffed by this.

Not the first time Google skips its own devices, but it still hurts

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

Ever since Google started venturing into the hardware game with the Nexus, Chromecast, Nest, and Pixel lines, there have been countless examples of a new OS update, firmware version, or feature coming to non-Google devices first. Circle To Search on the Galaxy S24 series and Wear OS 4 on the Galaxy Watch 4 are just some recent examples.

That is to say that there’s no written guarantee that you’ll get the latest and greatest features first when you buy Google hardware, but the expectation is that, more often than not, you’ll be one of the first people to have them.

I was hoping that the Streamer would continue to be the first in line for new Google TV features.

When the Google TV Streamer launched, it was the first — and only — Google TV unit with the smart home panel. It was also one of the few ones with the new favorite (magic) button on the remote control and the ability to find the remote by voice command. Having these gave me the wrong assurance that it would get more of Google TV’s rollouts first, and one of those features I was hoping to see soon was Gemini.

I’d love to have my TV guide me through a recipe while I cook, without me having to look down at my phone’s tiny screen. Or to give me gardening advice or travel tips when I’m researching these on YouTube on my big screen and not finding the correct answers. Or to help me find music for my mood without asking for specific artists or playlists. My colleague C. Scott Brown got a demo of a more helpful Gemini on Google TV early this year, and it got me genuinely excited for this better assistant on my TV. Alas, my Google TV Streamer won’t be getting Gemini anytime soon, at least according to Google and the “no launch timeline” answer that it gave us.

Buying the Google TV Streamer isn’t a de facto choice like the Apple TV is for Apple fans or Fire TV boxes are for Amazon shoppers. No, in order to buy a Google TV Streamer, you’d almost have to go out of the usual ways and actively seek this specific box. That’s why it’s annoying to see Google shun it in favor of a partnership with another brand.

The Streamer has a large proportion of enthusiasts who actively chose it and would love to test Gemini on it — at least more than any TCL unit ever would.

Clearly, there’d be more Google and Gemini enthusiasts willing to test out the feature and push it to its limits on the Streamer than among those who’ll pick up whatever TCL Google TV unit the integration will first launch on. But we don’t get to do it.

That’s without mentioning the lack of a planned rollout for Nest Audio and Hub. I’m not sure what the hold-up is there, especially since it’s a voice interface and Gemini’s voice interface has been quite solid for months now.

Is it even worth picking “Made by Google” hardware anymore?

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

If you’re not guaranteed early access to the latest features, then what’s the point of picking Google hardware over another brand? Walmart makes cheaper Google TV boxes, Samsung makes great smartwatches, and there are dozens of brands that can make better cameras and more powerful hardware than Pixel phones. And all of them will likely have better after-sales servicing and support, too. So, what’s the point of going with Google’s hardware when the alternatives are, objectively, better?

I admit I’ve asked myself this question a thousand times over the last few years, and the answer is becoming less and less clear with time. There was a certain aura to Google’s hardware that’s slowly fading because of sudden cancellations (Nest Secure), planned obsolescence (stripping away features from the Fitbit Versa/Sense and dumbing down the Nest Hub), botched long-term support (Pixel 4 battery snafu), and arbitrary limits around which device gets which feature first. And as much as I love Pixel Drops, I admit that it sucks to see new features take months and months before they trickle down to last year’s hardware.

Add on top of that Google’s not-so-small obligation to keep its partners happy (see: Galaxy Watch models getting Wear OS versions first, and now TCL TVs getting Gemini first), and it’s almost like every reason I had for picking up a Made by Google phone, watch, speaker, set-top box, or smart home gear is moot. Or at least not as black-and-white as it used to be.

There’s a big part of me that still gravitates towards Google’s hardware — I won’t deny that. I like the company’s design language, its simplicity, and the fact that most things “just work” together in an Apple-esque way. I love the niche feeling of owning something that not everyone has, of tinkering with it and trying to push it to its limits. Plus, the chance of getting new features first is still higher than any other Android brand out there, which is crucial for my line of work. But I’m no longer drinking the Kool-Aid, and I reckon the odds of picking non-Made by Google hardware are higher now than ever. Fool me once…