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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Last week, the Google Home app received a dark theme, unified camera page, and ability to control all Nest and Chromecast media devices from the Android 11 power menu. Following Nest x Yale control rolling out, the Google Home app now quickly shows whether your lights and other similar devices are on or off, while there’s also a new set-up list.
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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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In addition to a dark theme and bringing along the rest of your Nest media devices to Android 11’s power menu, Google Home 2.27 this morning can show all your Nest camera feeds on a unified page.
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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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Unlike Smart Displays, Android-powered televisions not in active use will just cycle through generic images and artwork. Some Android TV users are now reporting that the Ambient Mode is picking up support for Google Photos.
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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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At I/O 2017, Kotlin became an officially-supported programming language for Android, and last year, Google encouraged developers to use it over Java. The Google Home app is migrating over, with end-users benefiting from a reduction in crashes.
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While the Nest to Google Account migration started last year, some device functionality still requires the Nest app. Google’s Smart Home Virtual Summit detailed how the key Home/Away functionality is soon coming to Assistant and new “Works with Hey Google” branding, while one slide also revealed a deeper level of Nest Thermostat integration inside the Google Home app.
At a primarily developer-focused Smart Home Virtual Summit, Google today recapped its recent work in the space and announced more tools. Another focus was on expanding the capability of Google Assistant Routines through “presence detection” and other new features.
