4 things Google Home desperately needs

Google Home, Google’s smart home platform, is relatively static at the moment. Although millions of people use it and there are many compatible accessories, it hardly sets the world on fire when it comes to attention or excitement. If you asked the average American what the first smart home platform that comes to mind is, they would probably name Amazon Alexa.

Is there anything Google can do to make its smart home technology more attractive? I think so, based on my years of covering it. The execution can be tricky, but the strategy should be simple.

Faster, easier pairing

Add (and remove) accessories in a snap

I don’t find pairing accessories with Google Home to be tedious, but smart home technology is one of my specialties as a journalist. The audience Google needs to appeal to is the one buying a few smart light bulbs, some plywood, and some plumbing for the first time.

Pairing third-party accessories should be as easy as proprietary hardware.

Setting up devices can potentially be a breeze, but that’s mostly with Google devices. With third-party accessories, you have to set them up in their app and then link them to the Home ecosystem using Google’s convoluted Works With Google Home framework. Any subsequent changes made to the external application may not sync. So sometimes you have to force Google Home to refresh its connection and do some housekeeping to make sure all your devices are there, in the right rooms, and using the right names.

At the very least, Works With Google Home syncing should be automatic, frequent, and tidier. Pairing third-party accessories should also be as easy as proprietary hardware. One solution could be to rely entirely on the Matter smart home standard, which typically relies on scanning QR codes. This requires users to have a compatible Matter controller like a Nest Hub or Nest Mini, which could confuse people who expect everything to work out of the box.

New Nest home theater compatible speakers

The most obvious thing imaginable for Google streamers

One dilemma in the Google ecosystem is that you can’t use a pair of Google speakers as an output if you own a Google TV, Chromecast, or Google TV Streamer. The company never solved the problem of syncing Nest speakers with video, although rivals Apple and Amazon managed the feat over several generations.

Google could make a fortune selling new Nest speakers that automatically pair with all Google TV products. I recently purchased a Hisense U68KM. While I’m happy with the Sonos Ray soundbar I connected, I would have happily purchased a few updated Nest Audios as a budget-friendly alternative. A future upgrade for me might be a Google-designed soundbar with Dolby Atmos. However, with no new Nest speakers since 2020, the company would likely have to take baby steps.

A simpler and clearer smartphone application

The interface is close but not quite there

Google overhauled the Home app for Android and iOS in 2023, and it was a welcome modernization of something that seemed stuck in time. Its dashboard is now superior to Alexa and basic control of accessories is intuitive, at least when you master Google conventions.

The app can be confusing if you’re new to smart homes. For example, it automatically groups a room’s lights into a single tile, making it more difficult to control individual fixtures. Since it’s not always clear which tiles have one-click toggle controls, it’s possible to accidentally turn something on or off when all you wanted to do is see more control options. You will press and hold the tiles for this. Things are more complicated for newcomers when it comes to automation routines or the Works With Google Home system.

Adding buttons in the tiles would go a long way in making the home more intuitive. I’ve talked about fixing Works With Google Home before, but when it comes to automations, it’s mostly about breaking down barriers. The logic and restrictions of automations don’t always make sense, so it may take a fully “geminized” version of Home to sort things out.

More exciting material in general

It’s hard to get excited about doorbells and thermostats

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with Google’s hardware, aside from the need for a refresh, the company could attract more attention if the flashiest product in its lineup wasn’t not a thermostat. It doesn’t have advanced motion sensors or smart bulbs, let alone the kind of decorative lights sold by brands like Nanoleaf and Philips Hue.

Google doesn’t need to get into lighting. A complete ecosystem would be nice, selling us the true potential of smart homes without relying too much on third-party accessories. Perhaps closer partnerships with these outside brands would be necessary.

Is there any chance Google will fix any of these issues soon?

The next window of opportunity is the Google I/O 2025 developer conference, which is expected to take place sometime in May. There have been no rumors of a major smart home overhaul, except perhaps new Nest speakers and displays. Still, we don’t know when they might ship. We might end up waiting until next fall.