Google Home
We’ve been hearing about the Matter smart home standard and what it could do for ages now, and things are on track to finally arrive later this year. In an interview ahead of this week’s Google I/O, the company has teased what Matter will mean for the Google Home app going forward.
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There are tons of music streaming services out there, and Apple Music is one of the more popular ones for offering lossless playback at a reasonable price. So how do you listen to your music from Apple Music on Google Home devices? Well, it’s quite easy. This guide will take you through it step by step.
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Following the ability to set seconds-long delayed starts, Google has made another tweak to Assistant Routines that lets you rename these macros to be different from their starters.
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Google Home is at the forefront of smart home automation. That being the case, we expect heavy customization and the ability to change minute details depending on how we like our homes to run. One of those fine details is being able to delay certain actions in Google Home’s Assistant Routines.
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The Google Home app is getting a rather sizable redesign of the device grid that makes it faster to control smart gadgets right from the main tab. This is more or less similar to the Device controls page on Android 11+.
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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 recently updated the default “Shopping List” experience used by Assistant and Home devices. For many users, it’s a huge visual and functional regression that has taken away useful capabilities.
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After updating the primary tab with interactive device toggles inspired by Android 11, the Google Home app wants to redesign the “Feed” to be more useful.
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In addition to rolling out a redesigned device grid, the Google Home app is getting new centralized Privacy settings to “help you learn about and manage your household activity data.”
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Following Android, Google Home for iOS is now starting to roll out the ability to remote control your Chromecast with Google TV from your phone. Version 2.48 also makes tweaks to Google Wifi stats and graphs.
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People like using their Google Assistant Smart Displays and speakers to play white noise before sleeping. Google earlier this week changed the white noise ambient sound and there has been an onslaught of complaints from Home/Nest users.
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Google Assistant speakers and Chromecast-compatible products were hit with some big changes last week, as Google lost a lawsuit from Sonos that required the company to make some changes. Now, the “Device Utility” app Google built to work around those changes is being review-bombed as users express their discontent with the alterations.
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Following yesterday’s announcement of changes to Speaker Groups and Assistant device set-up, Google has started to update its devices and applications. The latest version of the Google Home app no longer lets you use a phone’s physical volume button on the Media screen/player.Â
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Following the US ITC ruling in favor of Sonos, Google this afternoon announced a series of changes to how Speaker Groups and its Assistant devices work.
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Just like last year, we’ve put together an end-of-year recap of all the major features that Google Assistant and Google Home launched in 2021.
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Before Google Wifi was announced alongside the original Pixel phone, Google a year earlier released OnHub-branded routers from Asus and TP-Link. In late 2022, Google will end support for OnHub routers that will be seven years old at that time.
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The latest batch of Google Nest cameras bring a lot to the table when it comes to new features, but as we’ve said in our reviews so far, they’re held back by the Google Home app. Luckily, Google is working on it. Today, Google is rolling out an update that brings navigation controls to the event timeline in the Home app for Nest cameras.
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The latest Google Home version 2.47.10 is now rolling out D-Pad controls for even more precise management of your Android TV or Chromecast with Google TV devices.
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A year after Apple Music first became available on Google Nest and Home devices, the streaming service is now supported in five more countries.
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As promised last month, the Google Home app now features a built-in remote to control your Android/Google TV. Starting on Android, you no longer have to use the Google TV app or the included physical remote to control your television.
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After leaving its lineup stagnant for years, Google finally brought new Nest products to the market this year in the form of new cameras and an updated doorbell. However, Google is also in the process of moving Nest owners from one app to another, and in the meantime, owners with both generations of products are left in a place where everything is confusing and frustrating.
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In addition to readying a new “Google Weather Frog” option for clock faces, the Home companion app now has a redesigned UI when choosing albums for your Nest Hub Photo Frame.
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Google’s 2021 Smart Home Developer Summit today sees a number of developments around Matter, including Android support via Play services. The announcements start with “Google Home” now serving as the name for the company’s entire smart home platform, developer program, and tools.
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After the latest update to the Google Home app, we’re still waiting for a Material You redesign, but version 2.45 now lets you set an 8-hour Wifi priority increment.
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