Google Home 2.66 for Wear OS rolling out: Redesign, Favorites, media controls, & more

Abner Li | May 18 2023 - 11:52 am PT

As announced last week, a big functionality update and redesign to Google Home for Wear OS is now rolling out with version 2.66.

After updating (and a small what’s new screen), you’ll be taken to a Favorites feed that matches what you have saved on Google Home for Android and iOS. You’ll see up to five devices and automations/routines. “View all” will load the rest of your list inline.

At the bottom, you have Devices, Automations (appeared later, possibly for those in the Public Preview), and Settings (for Accounts and Legal). The Devices list groups things by rooms and is basically the previous main feed.

As part of this update, you have more control over lights and thermostats. Besides adjusting the temperature, you can now switch modes. With smart lighting, long pressing on a tile lets you adjust Temperature (control strip) and Color (circular picker). You can still turn on/off with a tap, while sliding lets you adjust brightness.

Compared to before, you now have full media controls for content, like songs Casted to Nest Hub. This lets you see what’s playing, pause/pause, and next/back when tapping the Nest Hub Max tile. Previously, you could only adjust volume.

You also have the ability to lock and unlock supported devices.

Lastly, to receive animated camera notification previews, be sure to update to version 1.4+ of Wear OS System UI (on the Pixel Watch). This is available for Nest Cams and Doorbells launched since 2021. On Google’s watch you can access Google Home with a tile at the top of Quick Settings. There’s also a complication (accent-matching icon) or placing the app (full color) on your watch face.

Animated notification previews require Wear OS System UI version 1.4 or higher to be installed on your watch.
Google

The Google Home 2.66 redesign is rolling out via the Wear OS Play Store today, though a “Preview” experience/variant is still available for those in that program. For reference, the last update (2.62) to the app came in December.

Update: Google Home’s animated camera notifications on Wear OS rolling out in June