Google has started rolling out a major redesign of its Home app for iPhone, introducing a new feature called Ask Home that integrates Gemini AI into smart home management. The update arrives ahead of Google’s October 1 announcements and is available through version 4.0.54 of the iOS app.
As posted by 9to5Google, the redesign introduces a more rounded app icon with a gradient palette and simplifies navigation to just three main tabs: Home, Activity, and Automations. At the top of the interface, users will now see an Ask [Home name] bar with a glowing animation. This serves as the entry point for interacting with Ask Home, which initially acts as a smart home device search tool with tiles, actions, and automations appearing as you type.
The Home app now organizes device categories into swipable tabs such as Favorites, Devices, Cameras, Lights, and Wifi, while a vertical pill-shaped plus button makes it easier to add devices, services, automations, or members. Settings and account management remain accessible from a streamlined menu, while the layouts for Activity and Automations tabs are unchanged.
Launching Ask Home requires acknowledging disclosures for Gemini for Home, which powers the experience. The interface presents a chat-like UI with device tiles that can be tapped for quick controls. Although advanced prompts are not yet live, Google notes that the feature will become more capable after its official launch. A disclaimer page highlights key details about Gemini for Home: responses can be heard by anyone in shared spaces, users with Voice Match can access camera history, and Gemini Live may keep the microphone active briefly to allow follow-up queries without saying “Hey Google” again.
This redesign marks one of the biggest shifts for the Google Home app on iOS in recent years, blending traditional device management with conversational AI. It positions Google to compete more directly with Apple’s Home app and Amazon’s Alexa app, where voice assistants are deeply tied to smart home control. For now, iPhone users can expect a cleaner interface and the groundwork for a more intelligent assistant that will expand after Google’s upcoming announcements.
If you’re interested, you can opt into the public preview to get the redesign. However, word of caution: we tried and it kept giving us an error so no screenshots from us so far of the new design.
