Google Nest Hub

Nest Hub now finally shows date, time, and weather concurrently on homescreen

Damien Wilde | May 26 2022 - 2:37 am PT

Google’s Nest Hub series is now finally starting to show the date alongside the time and weather conditions at the main “Photo Frame” slideshow homescreen.

Appearing just above the lower-left time and weather conditions, this is great for quickly ascertaining the current date when glancing at your Nest Hub or smart display. Previously, you would need to swipe into the Nest Hub dashboard to access your calendar and time information together, so this is a great timesaver. It’s also worth noting that this is different from the Nest Hub showing the date on which images from your library were taken. This is often shown in the bottom-right of the homescreen.

However, it’s not perfect, as there is currently no way to change the positioning or font size/weight to make it easier to decipher with lighter colored backgrounds and images from your Google Photos libraries. Sadly, the dark theme settings have no effect on the text when the Photo Frame mode is active.

We are seeing the current date information across multiple first and second-generation Nest Hub with software version 46.32.13.418036576 and Cast firmware version 1.56.290464. It’s also visible on several third-party smart display devices including the JBL Link View running software version 40.16.5.426523610 and Cast firmware version 1.56.285116. You can see just how the date looks when displayed on the Nest Hub (2nd Gen) below:

It’s actually surprising that it has taken Google so long to add heads-up date information to Nest Hub and Smart Display devices, especially given the placement in most homes as a calendar and clock of sorts. In recent weeks we have seen the first-gen Nest Hub gain app launcher support, with Fitbit and Google Fit stats also likely coming as part of a wider Assistant update.

Some reports on Reddit suggest that this option has been in testing for a few weeks with temporary disappearances. However, it’s clear that this is rolling out more widely to more devices that are not enroled on the preview programme. If you’re now seeing the date on your Nest Hub or smart display, let us know down in the comments section below just what firmware version your device is currently running.