- Google Home 2.31 redesigns Media Controls
- It lets you trigger Routines on other devices again
- Personal Routines can be viewed and customized
Google Home setup and control your Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, and Google Home devices. It manages and controls your Google Nest and Chromecast devices. Plus thousands of connected home products like lights, cameras, thermostats, and more can be controlled.
The Home tab gives you shortcuts for the things that you do the most. It includes playing music or dimming the lights when you want to start a film. Control it all with just a tap – and get to the good stuff faster. The Feed tab highlights the most important events in your home, all in one place.
Here you’ll find ways to get more out of your devices and improve your home setup.
All about Version 2.31
In September, however, the Home app lost the ability to trigger Assistant Routines. Google Home 2.31 today returns back with this capability. On the other hand, there is a big revamp to media controls. Google rolled out a new fullscreen Routines page a few weeks ago.
It opens after tapping the purple shortcut at the top of the Home App. “Personal Routines” can be viewed and customized. On the other hand, new ones can be created but nothing else. The company today launched Version 2.31.
The new version adds a play button to the right of every listed Routine. At the bottom of the list, there is a “Start Your Routine On”. Users can select a “default speaker for routines”, containing actions that execute on speakers”. This default is “this device”, or your phone, with Smart Displays, speakers, and pairs all listed.
Google Home remembers your last selection for faster invocations. The next update is a complete redesign of Media controls in the Google Home app. Now there is a list of what’s playing instead of a carousel of tall cards. The scrubbers, play/pause, rewind/forward, and volume are up first.
Also, there is a much more efficient UI for media controls. Wifi settings in Google Home 2.31 adds a new ‘preferred activities’ menu. Here Gaming/Stadia is included. In fact, this is a menu instead of just a toggle. Google could be adding more advice prioritization options going forward.
Version 2.31 is rolling out now on the Play Store.