Google Home has been missing real-time commute times since Gemini showed up

Gemini is, undoubtedly, way more intelligent and conversational than Google Assistant. Regardless of its bells and whistles though, on Google Home devices, Gemini is unable to complete a simple task that millions of users had previously relied upon.

For reference, Gemini began landing as a voice assistant for Google Home devices earlier this year, in late October, to be precise. The transition has largely proven to be a success, albeit with some short-term limitations.

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By  Karandeep Singh Oberoi
Oct 28, 2025

One of the limitations that users are now loudly sharing on Reddit is the AI voice assistant's inability to share accurate commute times.

Users use their Google Home device to get a quick rundown of their routine drive. For example, during your morning routine, you'd normally be able to say something like "Hey Google, how's the traffic to work?" and your Google Home smart device, powered by Google Assistant, would reply with something specific like "Light traffic. You'll be at work in 22 minutes if you take HWY 401."

For some, information about their commute to work was part of their "Good morning" routine, which meant that they didn't even have to explicitly ask their Google Home device specific questions about their commute. The voice assistant would automatically share the information alongside other updates like calendar events and the weather.

Google Assistant would fetch commute information by tapping into Google Maps, which Gemini, as per user reports, is unable to replicate.

Gemini still provides information

It's just not real-time

According to several user reports, Google Home now only provides a rough estimate when asked about commuting, but it's not that the AI tool can't tap into Google Maps, it's just that it needs to hear a very specific command to do so.

With Gemini on Google Home, generic questions about how long it will take for you to reach work yield results like "it typically takes 20–30 minutes to reach XYZ location," rather than providing real-time data.

Although frustrating, until Google rolls out a patch to allow Gemini to understand broader terminology (which it is normally touted for), users will have to make do with ultra-specific phrasing.

As highlighted by user Ric_M, you can still get real-time traffic information using specific prompts like "tell me about my commute to." Using the specific phrase isn't a dealbreaker. However, it isn't a dealbreaker only when you know about it.

For users that aren't scrolling through Reddit threads, the lack of a prompt to bring up real-time traffic details feels like an unexplained loss of essential daily functionality.

Are you encountering similar issues on your Google Home device? Does using the aforementioned prompt fix the issue? Let us know in the comments below!