For the uninitiated, you can access the device settings for your Nest speakers, Chromecast streamers, or Nest hubs by heading over to the Google Home app, selecting a device, and tapping the settings button (gear icon) in the top-right corner. Earlier, this settings interface featured one long list of menus that looked a bit impeding and inefficient. The latest redesign now organizes all the menus under just two sections: General and Device features. Under the General section, you have the “Device information” menu at the top. It contains settings to control room placement as well as the option to join the Preview program. You’ll also find technical information like the firmware version of the device here. Next, we have the “Recognition & sharing” menu. Nest speakers also get a “Notifications & digital wellbeing” menu under the General section. The Device features section, meanwhile, houses various device-specific menus such as Ambient Mode, Audio, Video, Accessibility, and Voice calls, as applicable for a device. For instance, Nest speakers that lack a display expectedly don’t have video settings but there’s a settings menu for voice calls. “Audio” menu is shared across Chromecast streamers and Nest speakers. Another noteworthy tweak with this redesign is a more prominent placement of the “Remove device” button at the bottom. The option is highlighted with red-colored fonts.
Google Home app gets redesigned device settings interface for Nest speakers and Chromecasts
This device settings redesign in the Google Home app first rolled out to the Nest Hub line in November last year. The new Nest Thermostat also subsequently picked up the change. And over the past few weeks, Nest speakers including the Nest Mini, as well as Chromecast with Google TV and the Cast-powered second generation, have joined the party as well. The Nest Cam and Hello video doorbell have yet to see this change. However, it shouldn’t be very long before Google brings these two product lineups under the same design language. After all, these changes are part of the company’s broader push for modernizing and streamlining its product portfolio. Other Google products such as the Play Store have also seen similar interface redesigns in the recent past.
