Google overhauls Home app as it prepares for Matter

From The Verge: Google is previewing a completely new Home app for controlling its smart home devices and the many more gadgets it anticipates people will add to their homes once the new smart home standard Matter arrives. The new app is rolling out initially as a public preview starting in a few weeks, and you can sign up to try it out today.

Anish Kattukaran of Google Nest described the new Home app — which adds a new Favorites page and support for sensors to trigger automations 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 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.

Google is fully committed to Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard that aims to address many industry pain points such as complicated setup, confusing integrations, and poor reliability.

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