Google Home app speeding up camera feeds, adding images to Wear OS alerts

Abner Li | Apr 18 2023 - 12:48 pm PT

As the Google Home Public Preview continues, the company is rolling out a trio of features with a particular focus today on improving the camera experience.

Citing “feedback about camera performance and speed,” the Google Home preview is “rolling out improvements to the speed of live view for cameras, and how quickly you can access your camera recordings.” No other metrics were provided, but hopefully, it’s a noticeable upgrade.

That addition goes hand-in-hand with including images on Nest camera and doorbell notifications received on Wear OS “so you can know what’s going on at a glance.” This is rolling out starting today with the Public Preview of the Google Home app for Wear OS.

Lastly, as previously spotted, Google Home is finally letting you reorder the device tiles that appear in Favorites. At the bottom of the main tab, look for a “Reorder” button next to “Edit.”

Easily rearrange anything you’ve pinned to your Favorites tab so that you can manage your devices and automations with just a few taps. Is the front door locked? What’s the living room temp? Need to crank up the volume on your kitchen speaker while you cook? Prioritize the devices you use the most in the Favorites tab for easy access whenever you need it.

Google ends by saying that “more exciting news is coming soon,” with the implication being that more features are coming to the Public Preview and that the program will continue.

At the same time, Google says “there will be “big news in the coming weeks,” which could suggest a stable launch of the app redesign with an initial feature set.