Google Home adds new Favourites widget feature that I’ve wanted for years

As part of its June Pixel feature drop, Google has recently announced a Favourites widget for Google Home. This new update makes it quicker and easier to access and customise your smart home devices than ever before, something that Google Home and WearOS users are sure to appreciate.

Google Home has had many significant improvements over the past year, including a ‘Help Me’ AI script for better automation, an offline mode and a complete redesign of the apps’ interface. But the new Favourites widget is the feature that I’ve been waiting for for years, and it puts your smart home at the forefront of your device screens.

For quicker and easier access to all your smart home gadgets, the Favourites widget sits on the home screen of your phone or tablet, so you can turn on your best smart lights or adjust the temperature of your best smart thermostat with a quick tap.

With a bright and colourful layout that’s a condensed yet identical version of the Google Home app, you can view all your different devices and the rooms they’re located in with a quick glance at your phone. The widget can also be customised, so it can be as big or small as you like to fit your screen.

This is a marked difference to how you used to be able to access the Google Home app, which involved tapping a shortcut. However, this would open the entire app rather than offer quick access to your devices. Considering how everyone wants things fast and simple, this update will speed up all automations and requests, ideal for people who have built their smart home around Google.

This Google Home Favourites update is also being added to WearOS so you can control your smart home devices via your best Apple Watch. This will be in the form of a tile and complication so you can access your most frequently used gadgets from your wrist.

As of writing, the Favourites widget is available to use in Public Preview for Android devices running Android 12 or later. Before you can use the Favourites widget, you’ll need to set up Google devices and other compatible smart home products to the Home app and then add them to your Favourites list.

It’s unclear when the Google Home Favourites widget will be available outside of Public Preview but we predict it could come later in the year.