Key Takeaways
- Google Home Favorites widget for Android is now rolling out to all, graduating from the Public Preview program.
- It provides quick access to smart devices without opening the app.
- The widget refreshes the device status every 30 minutes.
Google rolled out a handy Google Home Favorites widget for users in its Public Preview program. The widget provides quick access to your favorite smart home devices and automation, ensuring you don’t have to open the app each time for these tasks. Google released this widget alongside the new Favorites tile and complication for Wear OS watches. Five months later, the Google Home Favorites widget for Android is graduating from the Public Preview program and rolling out widely.
Related
The Google Home widget is getting a dedicated refresh button for speedier updates
No more toggling random devices
The widget can sync and show devices marked as favorites in the Google Home app, or you can select custom controls. Since controls are unique to each widget, you can place multiple widgets on your home screen for different devices.
With lights and similar devices, tapping the widget’s button will turn them on or off directly. However, the Google Home control page will open for other devices, like an AC or a Nest Hub. You can adjust the widget’s size to match your preferences, making it larger or smaller to fit your home screen layout.
After placing the widget on your phone’s home screen, you can easily edit it to change the device you want to control. If you need to manage devices from a different home, you’ll need to edit the widget again after placing it.
Google notes on its support page that the widget will refresh the device status every 30 minutes. At times, the widget may take a bit longer to control a device, but it will display the progress to keep you informed.
The Google Home Favorites widget is available for all Android 12+ devices (via 9to5Google). For now, iPhone users can only access the widget through the Public Preview.
Join the Google Home Public Preview to test upcoming features
If you have several Google Home-compatible devices, consider joining the Public Preview. The current features available as part of the preview include Nest Doorbell notifications on the Pixel tablet and Script Editor, which allow you to create even more powerful automation with additional triggers and actions. You can also directly watch the live stream of “Works with Google Home” cameras within the Google Home app.
You can join the Google Home Public Preview through the Android or iPhone app.