Over the years, the Google Home ecosystem – Nest included – has changed a lot, largely to fit Google’s priorities of the time. But, more often than not, any one step forward has resulted in taking two steps back which, as a user, means there’s always some annoyance at play. As Google prepares to present Home and Nest news next week, what’s the one thing you would change about Google Home if you could?
This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of 9to5Google’s rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox early!
Looking back a few years, the Home app was frankly a mess. Prior to 2023’s redesign, running a smart home via Google’s app was nothing short of horrendous. It was fine if you had maybe a dozen or so lights and devices, but anyone with multiple rooms full of lights, switches, TVs, speakers, and cameras probably remembers the annoyance that came from digging through a seemingly endless list of devices.
The Google Home redesign that followed was a huge upgrade. Between a customizable favorites tab and dedicated, easy-to-access sections, and a more powerful automations system, it was a big deal for smart home users. It wasn’t perfect, though. The Nest experience was perhaps the biggest downside, with cameras having an interface that was lacking most of the features, polish, and attention to detail that was present in the Nest app years prior. In the time since, Google has made major strides in this regard, and we’ve seen that same effort apply to the rest of the Nest catalog. Just recently, Google extended support back to Nest devices from the past decade to fully support the Home app, with thermostats and the Nest x Yale Lock being the most recent examples.
But, nothing is perfect.
The Google Home app is, in my view, pretty good, but I know one of the biggest headaches is the ecosystem that surrounds it. The degradation of Google Assistant was so universally hated that Google had to outwardly acknowledge it and promise a fix was on the way.
Voice commands are clearly an area Google needs to fix with Home, and Gemini, at least on paper, has the ability to do that. We’ll have to wait and see what Google actually delivers on October 1, but I think we’re all hoping this is the silver bullet we’ve been waiting for.
Beyond voice commands, though, what’s something that you find frustrating about the Google Home experience?
I think everyone has that one little quirk that annoys them about any product, and Google Home is certainly no exception even if you avoid talking about voice commands.
For me, the one thing I’d love to see fixed is the integration of third-party cameras in Google Home. For instance, the Wyze cameras I’ve been testing lately show up in the Home app’s camera section, but they’re completely broken. Streams just never load no longer how long I wait, and it’s not the camera’s fault. I’ve seen the same behavior from every other third-party camera I’ve seen in the Home app over the years, including from brands such as Arlo and Reolink. Some work better than others – which is to say they load eventually – but it’s clear this experience is broken. I’d love to be able to properly use Google Home as a hub for all the cameras in my home, but that’s not something I can do today. It’s obvious that Google’s vision is to support this, but it just needs some work to fully accomplish it.
Will that happen? Hard to say. Google doesn’t really gain anything from you integrating a third-party camera in Home, so it’s probably not a priority at the very least. But third-party hardware makes up the backbone of literally any good smart home system, so it’d be crazy if it weren’t at least on the roadmap.
What about you?
What’s the one thing you would change about Google Home if you could?
This Week’s Top Stories
Qualcomm’s latest chips are here
Qualcomm this week announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 at its annual event in Hawaii, while also showing off its next-gen Windows chip. The event also saw Google teasing its PC-like desktop experience for Android.
Alongside that announcement, major Android brands announced they would be using Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. This delivered our first official look at the OnePlus 15, and Xiaomi announced the Xiaomi 17 series entirely.
More Top Stories
From the rest of 9to5
9to5Mac: Apple responds to iPhone 17 Pro scratch and durability concerns
Electrek: The 2026 Subaru Solterra EV is a big upgrade in every way, and prices still start at just $38,495
9to5Toys: Logitech debuts new wireless keyboard for Mac, iPhone, and iPad you never need to charge
Follow Ben: Twitter/X, Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
