What you need to know
- Google Home’s Public Preview environment is preparing to deliver an update that expands support, features, and device control.
- Enrolled testers will soon experiment with third-party Matter support for smart locks and the addition of Nest Protect CO/smoke alarms.
- A recent Public Preview test brought “Gemini in Assistant” for Google’s speakers, which lets users call out to the AI for answers.
Google is beginning to push the start of another Public Preview update that opens the doors to more device support and Matter.
As detailed in a community post, the Google Home Public Preview is preparing to rollout for CO/smoke alarms, smart locks through Matter, and Control settings. Beginning with Matter support, Google states it will soon open its doors to “new partners” with “more compatibility” in the Home app. Of course, this is thanks to the new smart home standard, Matter.
More specifically, the post states those enrolled in the app’s Public Preview will begin noticing “feature enhancements” for third-party Matter smart locks. Those new features include “Passcode Management.”
Household managers will soon find a complete, all-encompassing view of who has a passcode to a lock and their access status. Moreover, the company states that, as a manager, you will have the ability to set personal automations and see a “robust” history of events. Additionally, managers can create “guest passcodes” for people who require temporary access.
This feature is said to rollout out “this week” for Public Preview users on Android. Those on iOS will have to wait a little longer.
Next, Google is expanding the scope of its included Nest Protect devices to its CO and smoke alarms. As it arrives “this week,” testers will find a new view for their alarms that include a general overview of a room’s status. More importantly, if there is a situation and a camera is present, users can view that room directly to see where the fire or emergency is and take action.
The rest of the Nest Protect support includes the following:
- Receive emergency and heads-up notifications for smoke and carbon monoxide
- Get critical status alerts like battery health or device issues
- Modify your configuration: change system-wide and alarm-specific settings
- E911 calling for Nest Aware subscribers (US only)- If you are a Nest Aware subscriber in the US, you can use the Google Home app to quickly contact an emergency call center close to your home, even if you’re not home.
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The Public Preview’s upcoming addition of better control settings in the app are mostly quality of life changes for “one-tap entry” and “automatic locking.” For the former, Google states users can choose this option, which will eliminate the need for entering in a passcode. Instead, users will need to tap lock or unlock using the app. Automatic locking will let users set a timer for a specific lock, letting it know how long it should remain open before locking down (literally).
Push notifications for lock events are also included, as well as a “Vacation mode” to give your smart locks even more security.
A recent Public Preview update for Google Home from December involved a strong look at “Gemini in Assistant.” The AI concerned the company’s smart Nest devices like the Nest Audio or the Nest Speaker Mini 2nd Gen. Testers could converse with the AI through these devices and receive answers about a range of topics. Essentially, it acts similar to the Gemini experience on your phone.
Another Gemini update for Public Preview users included bringing it into the fold for your smart home accessories. Users could ask Gemini to close their blinds in a specific room and more, which sees the new AI model slowly replacing the brand’s Assistant.