The Google Home app has seen major updates, bringing a slew of new tools and features to make it easier to control your devices. The latest version includes gesture support, a redesigned automation editor, and AI capabilities that provide detailed insights into home activities. These changes are evidence of Google’s focus on making the smart home management experience simple and seamless for consumers.
The app now makes it easier to swipe between devices and dashboards, making it easier than ever to quickly jump on the Home tab. Additional automation features have been added, giving users a cleaner workflow to create more one-time and conditional automations. Google has put a price tag on some of the new features, at $10 a month. If you’re one of Google AI Pro or Ultra subscribers, your subscription includes these entirely for free!
Enhanced Usability and Speed
Anish Kattukaran, Chief Product Officer for Google Home and Nest, said that “Performance was job number one. The boot time of the app has been improved 70%! On top of that, it crashes 80% less frequently, resulting in a much more stable experience for users controlling their smart home devices.
Google, in the last year, has released more than 100 performance-related updates. They’ve implemented the API as an example of how to build great usability into your API. Users can swiftly navigate to a streamlined, centralized Activity tab. This new capability lets it follow activity across the whole house, even on third-party devices not manufactured by Google or Nest. This expanded view goes a long way towards making monitoring, managing, and securing every connected device possible.
Kattukaran acknowledges the ongoing journey to improve performance, stating, “Performance is definitely a journey. We are not at the destination…It’s got to continue to evolve.” It’s a testament to Google’s commitment to regularly improve the app experience for its users.
AI Features and Device Compatibility
The new Google Home app, powered by Google’s underlying AI capabilities, aims to boost security and monitoring features. Users today get granular summaries of every type of behavior their cameras are catching. These descriptions articulate what is driving the movement and identify where it is occurring in the house. This new feature is designed to help homeowners feel more confident and protected by giving them much clearer information about what’s going on around their homes.
On the usability front, the app now features support for Nest thermostats from 2015 and up. It allows them to see things like their energy history, schedule usage and boost their hot water—all right from the app. This compatibility further underscores Google’s desire to centralize control to the Google Home app as the one-stop-shop for managing all your Nest devices.
The app enhances camera functionality, allowing users to easily scrub through video clips to find that perfect shot. Significantly, it improves notifications, now providing custom richer animated previews on iOS and Android devices. These improvements are consistent with Google’s larger goal of bringing device management into one application.
Getting Started with the Update
If you’re excited to start using the new features, fire up your Google Home app today! To activate it, click on your profile icon, go to “Home Settings,” click on “Early Access” and toggle it on. Through this mechanism, early adopters get to play with potential new functionalities before they are given a full rollout to the general public.
