Google has unveiled a new design and new features for its Google Home, including support for both Wear OS and the web.
The newly designed Home app is expected to set the stage for Matter, Google’s new standard for smart home technology.
The company said it set out to reimagine Google Home because the number of average connected devices per user has gone up from an average of three when the app launched almost 10 years ago to about 25 today.
“Whether you have a few smart lights or are a smart home enthusiast with dozens of connected devices, the Google Home app will improve your smart home experience,” Google said.
According to the company, the new Google Home app will work with “all your devices, including every Matter device and the 80,000+ devices that work with Google Home today.”
Anish Kattukaran of Google Nest described the new Home app — which adds a new Favorites page and support for sensors to trigger automation and brings over the camera interface from the Nest app — as “the single best place to set up, control, and automate Nest devices and every Matter device.”
The new Google Home app has a clear focus on customization and personalization, with features like the new Favorites tab.
Google Home’s Favorites tab provides users with a customizable view of all of their devices, actions, and automation. It puts everything you need right in front of you when you open the app, with no additional taps needed.
Google will also add Custom Spaces next year, enabling more granular sorting and grouping of devices.
The company’s also bringing Google Home to the web later this year, allowing you to view Nest camera and doorbell feeds from a web browser at home.google.com.
Plus, you’ll be able to control your home on your wrist. The Home app arrives on Wear OS this week, debuting on the new Google Pixel Watch and rolling out to Wear OS 3 shortly after.
The app will let you turn off the lights, adjust your Nest Thermostat, and get notifications from your Nest cameras on your wrist.
