{"id":462685,"date":"2026-02-08T23:56:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T23:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462685\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T23:56:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T23:56:12","slug":"google-home-is-addressing-some-of-its-oldest-shortcomings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/462685\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Home is addressing some of its oldest shortcomings"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Google Home experience brings a lot to the table, but it\u2019s also infamously overlooked some features that have taken years to address. As more updates continue to improve on what Google Home can do, what do you want to see next?<\/p>\n

This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of 9to5Google\u2019s rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up here<\/a> to get it delivered to your inbox early!<\/p>\n

This week, Google Home\u2019s latest update started rolling out to address a couple of long-standing complaints.<\/p>\n

For one, Nest owners should finally stop seeing that annoying message saying that their video \u201cisn\u2019t available yet\u201d after tapping on a notification. This is a problem that has plagued Home for years, and at times made Google\u2019s smart cameras feel worthless for their main purpose<\/a> \u2013 security. <\/p>\n

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Google says that its latest Home updates include a \u201cfoundational fix\u201d for this problem. While it\u2019s never been a consistent-enough problem to see right away if the fix truly works, improvements have been long overdue. As someone with the better part of a dozen Nest cameras around my home, I\u2019m thrilled to see this finally happening. I\u2019d say it\u2019s the cherry on top of many Nest Cam improvements in the past couple of years, but realistically, most of those \u201cimprovements\u201d should have been there from the get-go.<\/p>\n

In other news, this latest Google Home update continues to invest in automations, with the big news being the addition of smart buttons as triggers.<\/p>\n

Finally!<\/p>\n

While voice and app controls are the backbone of the smart home, nothing can truly ever replace a physical control, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s really nice Google Home is finally supporting buttons. It\u2019s been a little rocky to start as some don\u2019t work as they\u2019re supposed to<\/a>, but like the Nest fix, this has been a long time coming. Compared to the likes of Alexa, SmartThings, and Home Assistant, this was a gaping hole in Home\u2019s automation ambitions.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s next?<\/p>\n

For me, I feel like most of the big issues I\u2019ve had with Home over the years have been addressed at this point. Nest Cams work really well nowadays, the Gemini additions have been solid, and automations continue to get more useful. There are plenty of little nitpicks that could use a fix, like that offline lights bug Google said it would patch, but there aren\u2019t many \u201cbig\u201d features I want \u2013 at least ones that could reasonably happen. I\u2019d love to see Google offer a true local storage and streaming option for cameras in Home, including Nest Cam, but that\u2019s not going to happen for obvious reasons. Right now, my biggest asks really come down to hardware, as the wait for Google\u2019s next era of smart speakers and displays sits just out of reach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What about you? What do you want to see next from Google Home? Let us know in the comments on this article, or over on the new 9to5Google Forums<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This Week\u2019s Top Stories<\/p>\n

Galaxy S26 just broke my heart<\/p>\n

Samsung is skipping built-in Qi2 magnets in the Galaxy S26 series, or least that\u2019s what all of the leaks seem to be pointing towards. It\u2019s a wild decision given some of the leaked accessories we\u2019ve seen, and also takes away the one big upgrade we were expecting for this generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google just announced the Pixel 10a early<\/p>\n

In a surprise to everyone, Google announced the Pixel 10a early this week, confirming the slightly updated design and February 18 release date.<\/p>\n

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