9 new features to please users on Google Home

The big feature worth mentioning is that picture-in-picture support is now available for Nest Cams on any Google TV products you may have. This will let you see what your different Nest Cams are seeing, conveniently placed on a portion of your TV screen. This feature is limited to the public preview for Google TV only.

It wouldn’t be a Google announcement in 2025 without AI joining the conversation. Fittingly, Gemini now has more extensive smart home controls than before. You can play your voice over a connected speaker or search your camera clip history by typing a specific query into the Gemini app.

For any cameras you have linked to the Google Home app, you'll be able to skip forward or backward through recorded footage by seconds by double-tapping the left or right side of the device's screen (similar to the fast-forward function on YouTube on mobile), which should hopefully make it easier to find the moment you're looking for.

Some of the new changes focus on customizing the Home app, including improvements to automation. Google says automations can be done in fewer steps directly in the app, with new ways to be more specific about automations.

Automations can now be made based on the presence sensor in the app, using the phone's location, as well as the Soli sensor in some Google Nest products (4th generation Nest Learning Thermostat, second generation Nest Thermostat and Nest Hub), to determine if someone is home. From there, they can make decisions on their own to turn devices on, off or navigate.

Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide status is now accessible within the Home app, and no longer requires the use of the standalone Nest app to monitor. Google notes that you'll "be able to receive critical safety alerts and emergency notifications, run essential safety checks, and silence alarms" from within Home.

The Home app has expanded support for Matter-powered third-party smart locks, with a variety of configurable settings, from managing guests, editing passcodes, receiving lock notifications, and more.

Even if you don’t have your phone, Google Home for the web has additional controls that let you make changes in your browser. Google only mentioned the ability to adjust lights, set the temperature, and unlock doors in its press release, but says there are more options available in the public preview.

Finally, the Home Summary widget revealed at I/O 2025 for Pixel phones is now available for invite-only testing, and will provide "insights into your home without having to open the app."