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Last fall, Google expanded the usability of the Google Home app by introducing a web version that allowed users to check on their Nest cameras when they couldn’t do so on their phones. The one caveat was that you couldn’t talk or listen to what was happening at your front door, but Google is in the midst of rectifying that.
With the new Google Home update slowly rolling out, users will soon be able to log on to Google Home for web and talk to anyone who might be at the front door or any other camera, removing the restriction of having to do so on their phone or tablet. While it may seem like a small update, it can be extremely useful for those who work in an office and can’t always take out their phones to check who rang the doorbell.
Also included in the updates is an improved battery indicator that will let you keep tabs on how much juice your devices have.
Google has been working at making its Home app better and more accessible to different devices. Alongside the new web features, Google Home for Wear OS now lets you change the color of your smart lights straight from your wearable device.
For as useful as the Nest cameras can be, they’re certainly flawed too. The Google Nest Cam with Floodlight can capture just about anything, but to get the most out of it, you need to buy the Nest Aware subscription on top of the already expensive price tag. Adding to the list of its problems is wildly inconsistent battery life when winter comes around.
As nifty as these new features are, they won’t roll out to every Nest camera. The updated controls will be restricted to Nest cameras and doorbells released in 2021 or later, leaving older devices in the dust.
