4 ways to keep your home running smoothly.

The Google Home app has always been a helpful home companion, and now it’s easier to use than ever, with design updates and new features. Access your favorite compatible devices right from the app’s home screen, so you can easily control the ones you use the most. It’s compatible with tens of thousands of smart home devices, so you can control them and create all kinds of automated routines through a single app.² Here’s how to get started.  

The redesigned Google Home app organizes your smart home experience into clear, accessible tabs. The main Home tab consolidates everything in one view: start with your Favorites for quick access, then see a list of all your devices, followed by device types like cameras, lighting, and more. You can now simply swipe through these sections to navigate.

The middle tab is Activity. For the first time, this is now the single, all-encompassing history for everything that happens in your home. It’s no longer just a feed for a few first-party devices; this is the complete history of all your devices in the Google Home ecosystem, all in one place. You can review your camera event history here, and for Google Home Premium subscribers with the Advanced plan, this tab also features the Home Brief, which summarizes important activity in your home. The Automations tab is where you build and manage all your Routines.

The Google Home app is easy to set up and use, letting you control the devices you need to make your home – and its inhabitants – more organized, connected, and safe.

View your Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell video history from your phone, and add powerful home automations in the Google Home app. Use your Google Pixel Watch to view your camera notifications, and your Google Pixel Tablet or computer to control your cameras, doorbells, speakers, displays, and more.⁴

Customize your Google Home app with Favorites, allowing you to quickly access and manage your most-used smart home products across all your devices. Pin security cameras to your smart TV for high-definition viewing, or manage your thermostat from your smartwatch for immediate temperature control. The power to personalize your smart home experience is in your hands.

You can conveniently control your smart home devices from your Pixel phone or Pixel Tablet. Just swipe down to open Quick Settings and tap the Home tile. It shows your favorite devices from the Google Home app. Quickly adjust the lights or unlock your door.⁵

Heading out for ice cream after dinner? Check your Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell’s live feeds whenever you want.⁶ Pin the feeds in Favorites, and easily scroll through each camera’s event history to see what you missed.

The Google Home app has more home automation capabilities to help you get a jump on the day.³ You can set up an automation to have Google Home start brewing your coffee, turn on the lights in your kids’ bedroom, and wake them up with their favorite music.^4,8

To get started, tap the revamped Automations tab on the Home app which now includes summaries for your upcoming automations, suggested automations, and a more intuitive and powerful automation builder where you can add new starters and conditions.⁴

Once set up, the routine will run automatically with the starters that you have, such as a device doing something. You can also start a routine with a single voice command using Google Assistant, or with a tap in the Google Home app. The routine can even be started by a device, like someone ringing your Nest Doorbell.

Home automations can help you turn off your lights, adjust your thermostat, and turn off your Nest Cams.⁴ Set up a Home routine for when you arrive and when everyone is out. Create a dinner routine and let your smart devices announce to your family when the meal is ready, set the ambience with dimmed or colorful dining room lights, and cue the music to play in the kitchen.⁸

Effortlessly manage numerous devices by creating custom groups on the Favorites tab. You can group lights for simple control, combine devices for surround sound in your media room, or link multiple TVs to send messages across several rooms simultaneously.

Your home is your haven. Google Home helps make it more comfortable, convenient, and secure.