Google is now reportedly rolling out an update to its Nest and Home Hub devices that deliver Settings adjustments, Photo frame backgrounds, and lighting control changes. The update takes the version number from 1.44 to 1.46. But the majority of the alterations apply to the UI of Assistant-enabled smart displays.
Which change is most noticeable will vary from user to user but one of the bigger alterations is coming to how the devices handle background images. To begin with, now those settings can be altered directly on Nest Hub devices in display settings. That’s instead of the controls being found only in the Google Home App.
The new setting lets users choose from Google Photos, the Art gallery, and a Fullscreen clock. Each category contains a swipeable carousel to choose deeper options. And there are even deeper settings found under a “More settings” option that controls notifications, Weather, Time, Personal photo data, Portrait Google Photos, Personal photo curation, and Slideshow speed. A button is provided to turn each on or off.
Finally, the ‘Moving digits clock’ now has a “light” option. That utilizes a very Android-like green hue instead of the typical dark coloration for the text.
What else is new with the Google/Nest Hub update?
Now, there are a few other settings changes with the Google and Nest Hub update too. One of those is the introduction of a previously-added feature. Namely, that’s the command used to manually change the photo frame. Now, tapping opens a promotional page outlining that on the Nest Hub. For Nest Hub Max users, that launches directly over to the Photo frame settings.
The Photo frame system settings entry now showcases a short description of what’s being displayed and what clock has been set as well.
Yet another surface-level change that’s appearing is the appearance of icons for lighting that change based on whether or not the lights are on. More directly, that’s found by navigating to the “View rooms” page and then accessing Home View. Tapping the button at the top-right hand side will let users see the icons either lit up with a yellow color or outlined in white. The former means the light is on while the latter means it’s off.
That UI change hasn’t made its way over to the full list of fixtures in the “Lights” shortcut. But the new icons’ appearance in the deeper menu seems to suggest that’s the direction things are headed. In the interim, it should prove useful for those who are viewing their smart home to see what’s turned on or off at a glance.
Users can now easily offer feedback too
This update is rolling out widely now, so users should see it arriving sooner than later. It’s also automatic. That means that those who haven’t seen it yet will just have to wait.
In the meantime, there is one further feature that many will undoubtedly find useful. Namely, Google has added a feedback option to the bottom edge toolbar on Nest Hub. For clarity, that’s the toolbar that appears with a swipe up from the bottom edge.