The new year is off to a rather good start for Google’s app. According to information reported by 9to5Google, it will soon benefit from a new interface. It will have new features that will help better control connected products.
According to media reports, the application, which has become an essential tool for home automation within smart homes, will now display full touch-button controls. According to the Mountain View giant’s plans, the redesigned buttons and new remote control compatibility will make it easier to activate smart functions on connected devices such as smart TVs.
More versatile use thanks to support for the new Matter standard
Google Home’s leitmotif has always been to make it easier for its users to interact with connected home products. For 2023, those responsible for the application do not intend to change course.
In any case, this is the message that Google seems to convey through its new interface. The latter should undoubtedly bring more versatility to the current functionalities of the tool. This will involve adding buttons to the screen that will make it easier to control products from the Google Home ecosystem, which, by the way, now support the new Matter standard. For those who don’t know, the Matter standard aims to ensure the compatibility of objects connected to each other, from installation to configuration.
The benefits linked to Matter should logically be felt in the new way of controlling connected objects from Google Home. It should be noted that the visual rendering of the redesigned interface is actually a loan from the Nest Hub remote controls. Either way, it’s definitely a step up, as 9to5Google has confirmed it’s seen more streamlined control of devices like TVs and air conditioners during its preview tests.
Users who have in particular smart TVs that support Assistant or Home will be able, thanks to the redesigned buttons, to soberly perform various actions such as switching on or off.
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A new shape for command buttons and compatibility with Cast
The new Google Home interface will not only facilitate classic functions such as adjusting the volume of televisions, changing channels or pausing content that is currently playing. It also brings a new design to the various control buttons. These will now be presented in pill form.
The new design has the merit of offering a softer aesthetic appearance to the user. Only the play and pause buttons have retained their shape (circular).
Besides that, we also learn that the new interface of Google Home will allow interaction with devices compatible with Cast. However, users will only be able to enjoy it through the media control feature within the app, not from the remote.
Users, members of the Google Home preview program, can now access these novelties in preview to make their own impression. As for other Home users, no information has yet filtered out about the date from which they will be able to have the new interface. Until then, Google should announce an official release date.
Source: Android Police