Tag: facelift

Google has made a number of improvements to the user experience of the Home app since its redesign was released for public preview last year, including changes to its look and feel as well as a slew of new features. One of the long-awaited tweaks that has yet to appear on the app is a redesigned lighting control, but that has changed with a new Google Home update.

The latest version of the app (v3.1 on the dogfood release) has made several changes to how you can control your smart home lights, as first noticed by 9to5Google. One of the most significant changes is that the circular on/off button surrounded by a ring for brightness has been replaced by a large pill that doubles as a slider. The power icon has vanished, though, suggesting that you’ll be able to turn off the lights by tapping the pill or by sliding all the way down to 0%.

Another change is that there are now more color controls available. A grid of presets appears below the slider, and a FAB with a color palette icon brings up separate sheets for Temperature and Color pickers. 9to5 notes that these fine controls are something people have been wanting for quite some time, and it is great to see that Google has finally added them.

Source: 9to5Google

The new lighting controls in Home are a significant improvement over the previous version, which only offered a limited set of color options. The new update also seems more user-friendly and provides more granular control.

In addition to a redesigned lighting control, Home has picked up a server-side update that introduces a new notification bell icon in the top right corner of the Favorites tab, right beside