

Google Home Overview Updated March 23, 2023
Google Home Stories March 23
Design-wise, Google has already shown off a lot about the Pixel Tablet. The latest leak goes in-depth on its “Stand,” while here are some details about the Pixel Tablet’s “Hub Mode.”
Google Home Stories March 19
Some Google Home app users are seeing “Wi-Fi Labs” for their Nest Wifi router to try out experimental features. This might be an internal capability that was accidentally made available outside the intended test pool.
Google Home Stories March 11
The Google Home app Public Preview is set to get a number of features before it more widely launches. The ability to reorder devices in Google Home’s Favorites tab is now starting to roll out for those in the beta program.
Google Home Stories February 17
Adding your Xbox to the Google Home app and connecting it to Google Assistant has some advantages. To get those, you’ll need to connect it. Here’s how.
Google Home Stories February 16
Google Assistant devices such as the Nest Hub and Nest Mini are handy for a lot of things, and many folks use them for music above all else. But if you’re trying to use radio stations from services such as Pandora via a Google Home routine or an Assistant command, you may have noticed that the functionality is partially broken.
The Google Home app has been undergoing a reinvention in over the past year, and one of the best new features is improved control over TV devices. If you happen to own a Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync box, Google Home also just became the best app you can use for quick controls.
Google Home Stories February 15
Building on Google Assistant voice command support, Microsoft is rolling out an Xbox update that lets you remote control the console with the Google Home app.
Google Home Stories January 31
The Matter standard for smart home devices has been full of big promises, but the vast majority of people haven’t been able to experience it for themselves. If you’re curious, though, here’s what it’s actually like to use Matter on Android with the Google Home app.
Google Home Stories January 29
As part of the Home app Public Preview, Google has redesigned Wifi controls with the list of connected devices seeing the big upgrade.
Google Home Stories January 23
Some users of the Google Home app Public Preview have received a thorough survey asking them to rate the redesigned experience. Spanning 20+ pages, it appears as a card in the Activity tab.
Google Home Stories January 12
As first promised in 2021, the Google Home app is making tangible progress toward fully supporting previous generations of Nest Cam hardware, including setup.
Google Home Stories January 11
Some television sets can be controlled by the Nest Hub, and the Google Home app is now finally starting to pick up those touch-based controls.
Google Home Stories January 4
The smart home is being reinvented right now with the arrival of Matter, and going into 2023, we’re about to see a lot of changes. One of those is the new “Works with Google Home” banner on Matter products, with Govee among the first to adopt the branding with its first Matter-enabled light strip.
Google Home Stories January 3
SwitchBot joins the Matter standard with the SwitchBot Hub 2
The big shift for the majority of smart home brands this year will be the inclusion of the Matter standard in devices. With that, those devices are able to communicate with more ecosystems with ease. At CES, SwitchBot has unveiled the Hub 2, a bridge for SwitchBot Bluetooth devices to work with any ecosystem.
Google Home Stories December 21, 2022
As a product of Google Home’s restructuring, Google is bringing live video feeds to Nest Camera users over the web, with easy access to your cameras over the internet and without the Google Home app. This guide will take you through using the new site to view your Google Nest Cameras live in any browser.
Google Home Stories December 16, 2022
Citing user feedback since the Public Preview launched in October, Google is rolling out an update to the Home for Wear OS app.
Google Home Stories December 15, 2022
These Google and Nest devices work with Matter
After years in the works, Matter is the next big hope for improving the smart home. Here’s what Google and Nest devices are compatible with Matter.
Matter is finally happening. After launching the standard earlier this year and some manufacturers making their updates available, Google is today launching Matter support on Nest devices and Android.
Google Home Stories December 14, 2022
The move over to the Google Home app has been messy for Nest Cam owners for a variety of reasons, but things are finally coming together. If you use a Wear OS watch, though, the Google Home app is still missing the useful previews from Nest Cam, even on Google’s own Pixel Watch.
Vague Google Assistant email warns of disabled routines, Hey Google bug
Some, but not all, Google Assistant users received an “action required” email starting yesterday that warned about a bug that impacted hotword and other service settings.
Google Home Stories December 13, 2022
Google Home routines keep saying that the Nest x Yale lock has ‘been unlocked’
If you have a Nest x Yale lock in your home, you might have noticed something different about Google Home routines and Assistant interacting with the lock.
Google Home Stories December 10, 2022
An increasingly widespread issue with the Google Home app is causing many users to be unable to add new devices with a “could not reach” error preventing the process from finishing.
Google Home Stories December 4, 2022
As the Google Home ramps up preview testing for its big redesign, Google is making more tweaks to the UI, but also apparently breaking existing Assistant routines for some users.
Google Home Stories November 25, 2022
How to sign up for the Google Home Public Preview for a chance to test the redesign
Google is continuing to invite those who’ve signed up for the Google Home Public Preview program. Signing up gets you early access to a completely revamped Home app. Here’s how to make sure you’re on the list to join the Google Home app’s Public Preview.
The Google Home app is moving towards a brighter future, and on that path the app is now rolling out far better support for sensors and sending out more invites to the Public Preview redesign.
Google Home Stories November 22, 2022
As promised, Google has rolled out an update for low Nest Wifi Pro speeds with PPPoE settings, while an issue with the Home app’s built-in speed test has been identified.
Google Home Stories November 17, 2022
If you use Netflix on Google devices and have been running into issues lately, you’re not alone. Netflix integration with Google products and the Google Home app is largely broken right now.
Google Home Stories November 14, 2022
The new Google Home app is finally on its way and public preview sign-ups are live now, but the app is still only available for a few people. If you haven’t yet had a chance to use it, what do you still want to know?
Google Home Stories November 11, 2022
The Google Home app started off as a solid way to manage your smart home devices, but as it has been flooded with new hardware and taken on the legacy of Nest, it hasn’t felt as though it was keeping up. Now, Google is moving toward a new Google Home app that makes some big promises, and we’ve spent a couple of days gathering a few first impressions.
Google Home Stories November 8, 2022
Following the announcement last month, the Google Home app Public Preview is beginning to go live.
Google Home Stories November 2, 2022
Google Home is starting to undergo a big overhaul. One major change is the addition of “household” routines. So what are they, and how do they differ? This guide will take you through Google Home’s household routines and how you can start using them.
Google Home Stories November 1, 2022
Last week, Google emailed some Nest Wifi owners about a 30% Nest Wifi Pro discount, and the company is reaching out again through the Google Home app.
How to setup Google Home’s new device-triggered routines
Over the next few months, Google Home is getting a full makeover, complete with new tools, functions, and more. One of these new tools is device triggers for routines. Here’s how they work.
Google Home Stories October 27, 2022
It’s taken well over a year, but Google’s new Nest cameras finally have a Google Home web app. The experience is still rolling out, but here’s a quick look at what you can expect.
Google Home Stories October 26, 2022
The Google Home app will work fully with older Nest cameras ‘next year’ – what you need to know
Ever since Google introduced a new lineup of Nest cameras to its smart-home lineup, there’s been a ton of confusion around the Google Home app, the Nest app, and which Nest Cam works where. Consider this your definitive guide.
Google Home Stories October 25, 2022
As part of announcing the rebuilt Home app, Google reiterated that the website to view camera feeds was coming “in a few weeks.” “Google Home for web” is now rolling out this week and should be widely available by the next one.
Ahead of its larger redesign heading out to the general public, the Google Home app is doing some work with routines, adding a new “Household” option for routines as well as expanding device triggers to more users.
Google Home Stories October 20, 2022
Using voice commands to control smart home devices is very common, and something that Google Assistant is about to get better at through the use of AI.
Google Home Stories October 19, 2022
The Google Home app is set to see a major redesign in the coming months but, ahead of that, Google is opening up a whole new world of automation. This week, some Google Home app users are noticing support for device triggers on Assistant routines.
Google Home Stories October 14, 2022
How to install and use Google Home on your Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch
Google’s Pixel Watch is meant to be one of the missing pieces to a complete ecosystem. Part of that ecosystem is Google Home, and the two work together quite nicely. Here’s how to access Google Home from your Pixel Watch or on any Wear OS 3 device, like the Galaxy Watch 5.
Google Home Stories October 12, 2022
Google Home and Samsung SmartThings will use Matter to share control of your smart home
The smart home is set to be reinvented over the next few years largely thanks to the arrival of the Matter standard. Ahead of that fully launching, Samsung and Google have announced a partnership that will deepen how SmartThings and the Google Home app can work together.
Google Home Stories October 5, 2022
Ahead of the Pixel event, a pre-release Google Home update includes early signs of two distinct docks for next year’s Pixel tablet.
I’ve been all-in on Google’s smart home ecosystem for the past several years, but with the soft reboot in 2021, things started falling apart, and frankly, I was getting tired of it. Over the past couple of months, I’ve been prepared to throw out my entire Nest ecosystem and move on to something else. But with new hardware and a revamped app that shows the company is actually listening to customers, Google just earned a second chance.
Google Home Stories October 4, 2022
Matter is a new standard for smart home devices that’s making huge promises for the future, and Google is a core part of that. Alongside the announcement of its revamped Google Home app, the company is also confirming this week that it will update its Nest speakers, smart displays, and routers to help control Matter devices. It’s also showing off how you’ll be able to set up Matter devices from Android.
Ahead of the launch of Matter and its smart home reinvention later this year, Google has some big new announcements for the Google Home app, including support for a website where you’ll be able to view live feeds for Nest cameras, and unlock more powerful script editor automation in the future.
If you’ve purchased any of Google’s new Nest cameras in the past year, you’re probably familiar with the awful experience that comes with trying to view recordings. With its redesigned Google Home app, the company is finally fixing the problem by stealing the history page from the old Nest app.
In addition to the Nest Wifi Pro and new Doorbell (wired), the expected Google Home app redesign was officially announced with “customization and personalization a core principle”. It’s a big overhaul, and you can sign up now for the preview program starting today.
Google Home Stories October 1, 2022
We now know what the Google Photos watch face we spotted last month looks like, with Play Store listings today also showing off more of Google Home and Personal Safety for the Pixel Watch.