Back in March, Google’s Community Specialist, Leticia, posted on the Nest Help forum that the company was going to completely revamp the Home app’s “Feed” section. This area shows news and updates or notifications about your smart home devices, but until now, it’s been a hot mess. Lots of information came at the user from […]
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Nest Hub Max gets Fuchsia update in Preview Program
The Fuchsia operating system is now making its way to the Nest Hub Max, roughly a year after it launched on the first-generation Nest Hub (originally called the Home Hub), except with a caveat — your Google Assistant smart display needs to be enrolled in the Preview Program. However, the program is available to all […]
Continue ReadingGoogle TV Profiles have arrived, will allow each user to have their own personalized experience
Happy Monday! I want to get up, head over to your Google TV, and click the profile image at the top right of the screen. Now, click “Switch account”. Today marks the first day where massive amounts of people are actually seeing the update for Google TV Profiles, as reported by 9to5Google. Originally, Google stated […]
Continue ReadingPopular Linux Distro Ubuntu spotted running on a second-generation Google Nest Hub
We’ve already seen plenty of instances where gamers have run Google Stadia on the wildest devices – even on an Android Auto head unit. The level of modding and customization that fans of a piece of hardware will go to is truly inspiring. Today in my Google Discover feed, I happened upon a guy who […]
Continue ReadingNest Hub Max to lose bridging and range extension support for Nest x Yale locks
Google is hard at work making sure all their smart home devices are ready for the launch of the upcoming “Matter” smart home industry standard that will be leveraging the next-gen connectivity protocol. This new standard was developed in collaboration with Amazon, Apple, Samsung SmartThings, and Zigbee as a way to reduce fragmentation and achieve […]
Continue ReadingPixel users may have trouble setting up their smart home devices thanks to that Sonos fiasco
Remember that whole big Sonos patent infringement situation back in January that Google found itself in the midst of? Remember how Google also had to make changes to how speaker groups worked and how they were even set up? Well, now, more side effects are going to be affecting users – specifically those with Pixel […]
Continue ReadingXbox game streaming device coming, Chromecast may need to fight for your HDMI
As a diehard PlayStation gamer since my youth, I can confidently say that watching the trajectory Microsoft has chosen to take with the Xbox ecosystem, I never expected to kind of sort of like it. Growing up, it was the Halo console – the FPS box or racing game hardware in my eyes. Truth be […]
Continue ReadingYour Nest Hub will now show the date, time, and weather all at once on the standby screen
Appearing on version 46.32.13.418036576 and Cast firmware version 1.56.290464 of the second-generation Google Nest Hub, as well as on the JBL Link View as per 9to5Google, the time, date, and weather will all now appear simultaneously on the bottom-left of the device homescreen! As you can see in the image above, all three are present […]
Continue ReadingThis is not a drill: Google TV Profiles are actually rolling out this time
After being delayed once already and after several false starts including one accidental slip up which revealed them to the world early, Google TV profiles are actually rolling out this time. All the way back in December, Google made the decision to push back the launch of a feature the Chromecast with Google TV should […]
Continue ReadingGoogle begins offering suggestions for which smart home device you may want to cast to
While not something particularly mind blowing, a small, new tweak to the Google Cast UI on Android seeks to get your music or videos up and running on your smart home devices with less effort. In the past, tapping the Cast icon at the top right of YouTube or YouTube Music among other cast-enabled apps […]
Continue ReadingHow to use Google Assistant’s Family Bell feature to keep your family on track throughout the day
Google Assistant has a neat little feature that I feel often goes overlooked – at least in my circles. Everytime I tell a friend or a family member that they can automate bells that announce upcoming activities on their Home devices, they look at me with a blank face. This mostly has to do with […]
Continue ReadingAndroid TV 13 update focuses on multitasking, picture-in-picture, and accessibility features
At Google I/O 2022, Google detailed many of its updates to the Android TV operating system, with a focus on three specific areas. Across performance, accessibility features, and multitasking, the company had a lot to share. It even went on to discuss the long-awaited multi-user profiles that keep popping up without an official release! We’re […]
Continue ReadingGoogle Assistant can now be activated without a hot word, will be patient with filler words, pauses
Uncovered by 9to5Google in a recent APK Insights deep dive was a feature for the Nest Hub Max called “Look and talk”. Codenamed “Blue Steel” as a reference to the Ben Stiller movie “Zoolander”, the feature was just officially revealed at Google I/O 2022, and it’s a small part of a much larger initiative where […]
Continue ReadingChromecast with Google TV now available for Amazon Pre-order, shows off user profiles again
Google and Amazon are longtime rivals. A few years back, the two companies had a major dispute where YouTube was no longer available on Amazon’s smart displays, and the Chromecast with Google TV was not allowed to be sold on Amazon. In the end, consumers suffered the most from such bickering between the two tech […]
Continue ReadingAlexa now supports newer Nest cameras and doorbells
Google has announced an update aimed at those that use a “blended” smart home by combining tech from different companies. A new Google Nest skill has been introduced for Amazon Alexa to work with the newest Nest cameras and doorbells – specifically the Nest Cam (outdoor, indoor, wired, or battery variants), the Nest Cam with […]
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