There’s good news for Google Home users—a new user interface is rolling out, and not just for people who invest in the Google Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen), which the company unveiled last week.
We got our first look at the redesigned Google Home app a few days ago, when participants in the public preview program noticed some big changes to the smart thermostat’s interface. Key features like the Energy Dashboard and fan settings are now easier to access, displayed as large cards rather than hidden behind icons, and it’s possible to adjust the temperature directly from the Favorites screen.
The overall look is more busy, with more data displayed on the screen at once, but overall it seems to match the updated interface on the curved glass surface of the new thermostat.
A warm welcome
As Android Police explains, the new-look app seems to be becoming more widely available, and isn’t just for users with the latest hardware. Users of the original Nest Learning Thermostat (launched in 2018) and even Ecobee devices have also noticed the new design on their phones.
This news will be especially good news if you live outside the US and Canada, where the new Nest Learning Thermostat is not available. At the time of this writing, Google has not announced plans, dates, or pricing for the new device anywhere else in the world.
So far, the response has been generally positive, with some Google Home users on Reddit praising the “more intuitive and readable interface” that makes it “easier to see what’s going on at a glance,” while others complained about how much space the new tiles take up on the Favorites screen.
My Nest app updated and got this cool new thermostat UI. from r/googlehome
Google hasn’t officially announced the new interface yet and it seems there are still some issues to be worked out, especially when using the app with an Ecobee thermostat, but it seems to be almost ready.
Are you thinking about upgrading your heating system? We’ll be putting the new Nest Learning Thermostat (4th Gen) through its paces soon to see if it deserves a place in our guide to the best smart thermostats.
