Google Home redesigns device grid with interactive control toggles [Update: Android rollout]

Abner Li | Mar 31 2022 - 3:45 pm PT

The Google Home app is getting a rather sizable redesign of the device grid that makes it faster to control smart gadgets right from the main tab. This is more or less similar to the Device controls page on Android 11+.

Update 3/31: Over two weeks after it first appeared, Google Home 2.49 is widely rolling out on Android. The redesigned device grid might not immediately load after updating via the Play Store. To trigger, “Force stop” Google Home from the App info menu and reopen (we had to do that twice).

Meanwhile, only a simple tap is needed to open the full device page. As you adjust something, the percentage temporarily becomes more prominent in the tile.

Besides the interactive toggles, Google in recent weeks announced that an overhaul of the Events feed is coming. That particular revamp is not yet live, but the new Privacy page is.

Original 3/15: According to the release notes for version 2.49, an “updated home view helps you adjust your devices with fewer taps.”

Quickly find what you’re looking for, dim your compatible lights, and change the music volume in a snap. Tap to turn a device on or off, slide left or right to make adjustments, and long press for more controls.

Instead of devices being represented entirely by large icons that mimic the real-life object, the Google Home grid is switching to tiles shaped like rounded rectangles. A device icon still appears inside, but you now have fully interactive buttons.

You’ll be able to turn on/off lights and play/pause media with just a tap, which is already possible today with the button underneath the device icon. However, you can now also slide left or right to make volume and brightness adjustments. Long pressing will reveal full-page controls, while the background serves as a more obvious way to convey device state.

Google Home’s iOS release notes say this feature is rolling out “over the next few weeks.” As of today, sideloading Google Home 2.49.1.8 on Android [U: doesn’t] bring up the grid redesign, though we successfully enabled it as seen in the cover image at the top.