Google Home Favorites widget launches on Android

Announced at the end of May, the Google Home Favorites widget on Android no longer requires that you join the Public Preview program.

The Google Home widget provides “Quick control of your actions, automations, and devices.” Favorites can take up an entire homescreen page or shrink down to 2×1 with various configurations in-between. It’s s one of the more flexible widgets out there.

You can have the layout match the Favorites tab in Google Home or create a custom widget and manual select what appears. After placing on your homescreen, you can make changes to the widget by holding down and tapping the pencil icon or dragging to Widget settings.

This widget refreshes the status of smart home devices every 30 minutes. Lights, blinds, and other objects can be turned on/off with a single tap. Clicking Camera, Wi-Fi, Thermostat, and Command tiles will open the device controls page directly.

Meanwhile, opening smart locks, garage doors, checking camera feeds, and other “sensitive actions” requires “different levels of user authentication.” 

As of Google Home 3.24, all Android 12+ users have access to the widget. Meanwhile, Google just started testing it — Preview Program required — for iOS 17+ users.