The Google Home app is getting a fresh design that should make it a lot more intuitive, according to a report from 9to5Google. The upcoming 2.49 update will let you interact with your devices from a single screen, resembling the device control panel on phones with Android 11 and up.
Judging by the update’s release notes on the App Store, it seems Google is hoping to make the app a lot more user-friendly than what it is right now, saying it should help you “quickly find what you’re looking for, dim your compatible lights, and change the music volume in a snap.” More specifically, you’ll be able to tap on a device to turn it on or off, slide left or right on certain elements, like lights or speakers to make adjustments to brightness and volume, as well as long press on a device to see more options.
Google Home received its last major design change in 2018 — and later added controls to change the color of your lights — but has largely remained the same ever since. This has left us with a clunky app that forces us to tap into each device to make specific adjustments (although there are still some single-tap controls like turning things on or off).
Google says the redesign will roll out “over the next few weeks,” and even having the most recent version of the app on iOS or Android might not be enough to see the changes. Some users, like former editor in chief of XDA-Developers Mishaal Rahman, have successfully sideloaded the 2.49.1.8 update on Android and accessed the new settings.
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