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.
Back in November, the Nest to Google Account migration began to improve 2FA security, as well as provide “seamless product integration” between smart home and Assistant devices. The Nest Protect wast not included in that initial transition, but Google in recent months has promised that the oversight will be addressed.
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Google next week is hosting a “Hey Google” Smart Home Virtual Summit in lieu of the annual I/O conference. Aimed at the Assistant developer community, there will be a keynote and partner panel.
One of the best features of Google’s Assistant ecosystem is the ability to create speaker groups that play music throughout your entire home. Now, Google is making it possible to add Android TV devices to a speaker group.
Over the past 24 hours, those within the Google Home ecosystem have reported that their C by GE light bulbs are not turning on. There’s fortunately a quick fix that does not require resetting the fixtures manually.
Google is planning to launch a new Nest-branded smart speaker, sources familiar with the matter tell 9to5Google. The device will look unassuming and familiar, we’re told, and will fit in nicely with the fabric-based design language of the Nest Mini, Nest Hub, and the still-not-renamed Google Home Max.
Android 11 will significantly revamp the Pixel’s Power menu with smart home “Device controls.” Over the past few days, the feature has leaked again, and you can now enable it on Android 11 DP4 with the latest version of the Google Home app.
Google’s smart speaker lineup is currently comprised of four devices, with the latest being the Nest Mini from October 2019. The original Google Home today is “no longer available” from the US Google Store in a possible end for the nearly four-year-old Assistant device.
For a long time, I’ve hoped for the ability to use a custom hotword/phrase on my Googles Home (that’s plural for multiple of them, obviously). But being stuck at home for the last couple months has even further highlighted just how exhausting it is to repeat the name of a mega tech company when trying to set a timer for my dinner.
The Google Home app is, well, home to a sprawling number of settings and menus for controlling Smart Displays, speakers, Wi-Fi routers, and much more. Google is now redesigning the “Home settings” menu with better organization and the Material Theme.
After revamping Lighting controls in March, the Google Home app has new suggestions for linking streaming services, as well as a Live TV section.
Last week, Google announced that the highly-awaited ability to control “Hey Google” sensitivity was beginning to roll out. As of today, the new setting is more widely available for first and some third-party Assistant speakers and Smart Displays.
Google Assistant smart speakers are a handy way to stream music and for people who like to listen to music before they go to sleep, the voice-based commands can be excellent. Now, though, the handy sleep timer function of Google Assistant that turns off music after a set period of time is broken for some users.
Audio adjustments on Google’s smart speakers and Smart Displays are quite straightforward. The company is now testing the ability to set a separate Google Assistant volume level in the Home companion app.
Last September, Google briefly described an upcoming Assistant feature that would help reduce unintentional hotword activations. Introduced as a privacy measure, you can tune how sensitive Smart Displays and speakers will be to “Hey Google,” with the feature now rolling out.
Smart speakers powered by Google Assistant can be very powerful tools and IFTTT, a third-party service, can make them even more powerful. For several hours, though, integration between IFTTT and Google Home devices was down entirely for many users and is still suffering for some.
Last month, we exclusively revealed Google’s plans for a new Chromecast Ultra based on Android TV. The latest Google Home app is now showing signs of picking up a set-up process for televisions.
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Wherever you happen to be, you’re now potentially working from home. It’s a strange and interesting new experience for many of you out there who have never done so before, we’re sure.
Last year, the Google Home app was redesigned to only feature two main sections, including a centralized “Feed” that highlights important changes. Google is now rolling out Nest Cam events to the Home app and an improved Lights quick action.
The Google Home app has been getting revamped in a few ways to better support Nest devices and, now, the app is preparing to support emergency calling details on your smart speakers.
Google Assistant can be a really helpful tool for controlling your smart home, but it’s always frustrating when it doesn’t work properly. Right now, some Google Home owners are reporting that Assistant’s August Smart Lock integration is currently broken at least in part.
