The ability to “Test device speed” was one of the last remaining features of the old Google Wifi app that had yet to be migrated to Google Home with June’s Wi-Fi redesign. An update today introduces that check, and reveals work on ISP access to your Google/Nest Wifi router.

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At the end of last year, Google thoroughly redesigned and simplified the process of creating Assistant Routines. That update introduced sunrise/sunset triggers, and Google will soon let you program a delay between when the command is given and the Assistant Routine starts. 

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Google’s latest home security cameras ditch the aging Nest app and focus solely on the Google Home app, but what about users with older cameras too? Google has confirmed that the Home app will start showing Nest notifications for all cameras… at some point.

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With the launch of the Nest Cam line and Doorbell, Google is requiring the Home app and bringing over a slew of legacy features from the old companion client. Google Home 2.42 adds support for the new security cameras, and reveals works on two other efforts.

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Like with the $129 Nest Thermostat that launched last year, the Google Home app is needed to control the new Nest Doorbell and Cam lineup. The companion client will be updated with several camera features in the process.

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Back in November, device settings for the Nest Hub and Hub Max in the Google Home app were updated with a cleaner design and improved organization. The Google Home settings revamp is now coming to various Nest speakers and Chromecast streamers.

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After an update last month focused on Wi-Fi management, the latest version of the Google Home app greatly improves the Nest Hello experience with more controls.

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In addition to a new Nest/Google Wifi update, the Google Home app is getting the last few remaining Wifi-related features from the old client that’s set to be deprecated.

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For some users, Assistant has a tendency to pick up “Hey Google” and answer on the wrong Smart Display/speaker. Google is now soliciting feedback when the wrong Home activates with a “Which device did you expect to respond?” notification.

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With Project Connected Home over IP (CHIP), Google, Apple, Amazon, and many other companies two years ago set out to create a new standard for smart home devices. With the first products set for year’s end, this initiative is now named “Matter” with a mark to certify products.

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If you’re an owner of a Nest Thermostat, you might be encountering a frustrating bug this week. It appears that some Nest Thermostat owners are losing access of their devices through the Google Home app due to an account migration issue.

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Version 2.37 of the Google Home app is rolling out today with a small tweak that makes users more likely to use the Nest Wifi’s notification capabilities, while faster Smart Display and speaker setup is also coming.

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Last year, Google introduced presence sensing to power Home & Away Routines. The Google Home app is now using location for an “only ring when home” feature so that Smart Displays and speakers don’t sound for incoming calls when you’re out of the house and cannot answer.

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With the last major overhaul in 2019, Google simplified the Home app to have two primary screens from four. Google Home now has settings to customize the “Feed” tab to “choose the types of events” that can appear.

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As it stands today, Google has two distinct apps for managing your Google Wifi and Nest Wifi networks, with Google Wifi and Google Home. Starting next month, the older Google Wifi app is shutting down in favor of the all-in-one Google Home.

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At the start of the year, the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max started playing a new sound following a successful Casting connection, and that updated chime is now appearing on Google Home and Nest speakers.

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Version 2.35 of the Google Home app is rolling out on Android and iOS with some user-facing tweaks. The Home companion client today also reveals the backside of a new Google Nest device, which could be a next-generation Hello doorbell.

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Besides music and relaxing sounds, Google’s Assistant devices are frequently used for podcasts. However, a bug has emerged in the past few days that sees Google Home and Nest speakers play the wrong podcast.

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The latest update to Google’s Home companion app is rolling out on Android and iOS this morning. Besides Home 2.34 adding support for the 2nd-gen Nest Hub, the Google/Nest Wifi experience gets a big update with network usage graphs.

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The Google Home app is a central tool for controlling any device that works with Assistant, but it’s only available on smartphones. A fake Chrome extension that promised to bring “Google Home app for PC” to life fooled thousands of users, and it begs the question of why Google hasn’t actually released this officially.

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One of the biggest bonuses with the Spotify mobile app has always been the ability to cast audio from a “free” account to your Google Assistant-powered speakers and Smart Displays. A recent, quietly made change means that this privilege is now only reserved for Premium account holders.

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An apparent “set up” issue with the Google Assistant today prevents users from controlling smart home devices with their voice. 

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After we first spotted the functionality in development back in September of last year, Google looks to be preparing a rollout of “access” roles for household members in the Google Home app.

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Assistant is one of Google’s most important products as voice cements itself as a key way to interact with technology. The personal assistant spans across all of the company’s form factors and plays an outsized role in smart homes. As the new year gets under way, let’s recap all the major features that Google Assistant and Google Home picked up in 2020.

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Assistant Routines have recently seen a flurry of developments from Android homescreen shortcuts to a new editing UI, and Google is now rolling out sunset/sunrise triggers for some users.

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Back in September, the Home app lost the ability to trigger Assistant Routines. Google Home 2.31 today returns that capability, while there’s a big revamp to media controls.

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The Google Home app in recent months has seen a flurry of new features from a dark theme to full Wifi controls and Home/Away Routines just last week. Google is now testing a very welcome redesign of Nest Hub, Home, and other device settings.

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The latest version of the Google Home app is rolling out with support for the new Nest Thermostat. Available now on iOS and making its way to Android, it suggests the latest smart home device from Made by Google is coming sooner than later.

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Back in July, Google said it was bringing over a key Nest feature to Assistant with “presence sensing.” After detailing late last month, the Home & Away Routines are now rolling out to the Google Home app.

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One of the key aspects of the new Nest Thermostat is full integration with the Google Home app. It reflects how the company’s smart devices are moving towards one app, with that experience fully detailed today.

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Over the past four years, Google has expanded its smart speaker lineup quite a bit. This week, the new Nest Audio is hitting doorsteps, but where does it fall in the lineup? Here’s how Nest Audio compares to Home Max, Nest Mini, Google Home, and everything else.

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In addition to announcing a revamped Wifi router today, Google is rolling out an update to existing units and Nest devices. The most prominent feature is a notification when new devices join your network.

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After teasing earlier this year, Google has fully detailed how Home & Away Routines work. That said, the feature does not appear to be rolled out yet today.

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Recent versions of the Home companion client have added a slew of new features. A server-side update now appears to remove the interface for triggering Assistant Routines from the Google Home app.

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Google Home 2.28 adds support for OnHub routers and lets you better control notifications. It also reveals “Nest Audio” as the possible name of Made by Google’s next speaker and work on Home/Away Assistant Routines.

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The latest update to Home companion app introduced a slew of new features like a dark theme, unified camera page, and more Android 11 integration. Google Home 2.28 continues to improve the Wi-Fi experience by adding support for OnHub routers, while making it easier to video call.

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Following a tease last month alongside a promotion, Google has updated the Google Home app with support for the Nest x Yale smart lock.

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Earlier this month, the Nest Hub Max started appearing in the Android 11 power menu. The latest Google Home app now lets you add every Nest, Home, and Cast device for quick control on Android 11.

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At this point, nearly all of Google’s first-party apps have dark modes. There are some glaring exceptions to this, but fortunately version 2.27 of Google Home today adds a dark theme.

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In addition to introducing advance networking settings for Google/Nest Wifi routers, Google Home 2.26 lets you add the Nest Hub Max to Android 11’s Device Controls housed in the power menu.

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Last week, Google started rolling out the ability to import Google Wifi networks into the Home app. This is part of a bigger update that sees Google Home add the Wifi app’s “advanced networking” settings, which means you no longer have to use two clients.

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With the launch of Nest Wifi, the Google Home app added a number of controls for managing your network. While Google Wifi devices are able to get this Assistant integration, the factory reset required is an inconvenience. Fortunately, the Google Home app is now adding support for importing Wifi networks.

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Google’s Chromecast has been one of the most popular streaming devices ever, but it doesn’t get major updates too often. This week, Google has detailed a handy update coming to Chromecast devices that offers more reliable controls and persistent volume.

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While more and more devices are getting “smart” equivalents today, one way to modernize existing products is with smart plugs. The Google Home app now lets you set what a plug is controlling through “device types.”

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