Control smart home devices with the Favorites widget

For iOS, the Favorites widget is available as a Public Preview feature. Join Public Preview to try it on your iOS devices.

Access your smart home devices using the Favorites widget. Your preferred devices are a tap away from the Home screen. The Favorites widget is available on iOS 17 or later and Android 12 or later. Make sure to update to the latest version of the Google Home app to use this feature.

Before you set up your Favorites widget, you must first add a home and set up smart home devices in your Home app . You can also add other compatible smart home products , like lights, cameras, and Matter-enabled devices. After your devices have been set up, you can add them to your Favorites list.

For added flexibility, the devices and actions in your widget are synced with your Home app Favorites list. You can make your own list that is unique to the widget or add multiple widgets to your Home screen.

Android iPhone & iPad

How to add the Favorites widget to your Home screen

Add your Favorites widget to your Android device’s Home screen. From smart locks to lighting, the widget lets you manage and access your smart home devices in a convenient way.

Edit your Favorites widget through the Widget Settings

Your Favorites widget can be edited through the Widget Settings . The Widget Settings lets you choose the controls for your widget, change your associated home, or edit and reorder your favorites. There are 2 ways to access the Widget Settings :

  • Long press the widget without touching the device tiles and then drag the widget and drop it on the Widget Settings .
  • Long press the widget and release on the home screen to enter Edit Mode. Press the Edit  button to open the Widget Settings .

How to control devices in the widget

Check the status of your device through your Favorites widget. The widget will indicate if the device is active or not and will refresh its status every 30 minutes. Depending on the status of the device, the color shade of the device tile will change.

Some devices can be switched on or off with the Favorites widget (kitchen lights, bedroom blinds, etc.). Tap the device tile you want to toggle on or off. Devices may take some time to complete the task but the widget will present the progress of completion.

There are devices that don’t have the toggle on or off option. If you tap on the Camera, Wi-Fi, Thermostat, and Command tiles, they instead will open the device on your Home app .

Sensitive actions like opening smart locks, garage doors, or checking the cameras require different levels of user authentication. This is to keep your home safe and under your control.

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