The Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) will start shipping next week, and Google has started preparing by giving the Google Home app a much-needed update that should make it simpler to control the temperature of your home.
Google unveiled the new smart thermostat at an event last week, showing off its slimmer design, curved glass front, and thinner rotating bezel. Now, Android Police has spotted some similarly smart upgrades to the Google Home app, which make key features easier to access.
The app changes haven’t rolled out to all users yet, but were spotted in the latest Google Home Public Preview, which you can try if you want to be first to check out new features, and are willing to accept that there may be some bugs that need to be ironed out before the final software release.
Busier, but better
The new app doesn’t look more streamlined than the existing version; if anything, each screen is busier, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
As you can see in Android Police’s screengrabs, features like the Energy Dashboard and fan settings are no longer hidden behind icons, but are large, easily accessible cards on the app’s home screen. Similarly, you can now control your smart thermostat directly through the Favorites menu, with a simple picker for dialing the temperature up or down.
The design updates should work nicely with the updated Nest Learning Thermostat, which can give you smarter suggestions for ways to tailor your home’s heating and cooling schedule to save energy. We were impressed by how smooth it feels to operate during our hands-on experience last week, and it makes sense that Google would carry that simplicity through to the mobile app.
To join the Google Home Public Preview program and get an early peek at new features like these, open the app on your phone, and select Settings > Public Preview > Join Public Preview. Alternatively, you can visit home.google.com, sign into your account, then select Public Preview> Join Public Preview.