Control smart home devices with the Favourites widget

For iOS, the Favourites 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 Favourites widget. Your preferred devices are a tap away from the home screen. The Favourites widget is available on iOS 17 or later and Android 12 or later. Make sure that you update to the latest version of the Google Home app to use this feature.

Before you set up your Favourites 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. Once your devices have been set up, you can add them to your Favourites list.

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

Create or add a home in the Home app

1. Open the Google Home app .

2. Tap Settings Add .
3. Select Home.
4. Follow the on-screen steps.

Tip: You can have up to five homes in your account.

Set up favourites in the Home app

• To change which actions or devices you have on Favourites, scroll down and tap Edit .

  • To add more tiles, tick the box next to the tile.

  • To remove tiles, untick the box next to the tile.

  • After you’ve selected your tiles, tap Save to update your favourites.

• To organise your devices, tap Reorder to drag the tiles into the position that you want.

How to add the Favourites widget to your Home screen

Add your Favourites 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.

Add the Favourites widget from the Home app icon

1. Tap and hold the Home app .

2. Tap Widgets .

3. Press and hold the entire Favourites widget.
4. Drag and drop the Favourites widget on the Home screen.

Add the Favourites widget from the widget library

1. On a Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
2. Tap Widgets .
3. Find the app that has the widget that you want.
4. To check the list of available widgets for the app, tap the app.
5. Touch and hold a widget. You’ll get images of your Home screens.
6. Slide the widget to where you want it. Lift your finger.

Choose controls for the Favourites widget

Once added to your Home screen, you'll get a prompt to select which devices appear in the Favourites widget. The number of devices shown depends on the number of devices selected, the size of the widget and size of your device’s screen.

• Tap Favourites if you want your Favourite devices from the Home  app to appear.
• Tap Choose custom if you'd like to select a custom set of devices to appear.

Edit your Favourites widget through the widget settings

Your Favorites widget can be edited through the widget settings . The widget settings let you choose the controls for your widget, change your associated home or edit and reorder your favourites. There are two ways to access the widget settings :

• Long-press the widget without touching the device tiles 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 .

Sync your Home app favourites

1. In Widget settings , select Widget controls.

2. Tap Favourites  to sync with your favourites in the Home  app.

When you edit your favourites  in the Home app, your widget will refresh to reflect the latest changes from the app.

Choose a custom set of widget controls

1. In Widget settings , select Widget controls.

2. Tap Custom.

3. Tap or untap the tick boxes of your devices to add or remove them.

4. Tap Save if you’re satisfied with your choices.

Note: This configuration is specific to the widget and won't change the favourites configuration on your app or other devices.

Choose a different home

1. In Widget settings , select Choose home.

2. Tap the account with your preferred home.

3. Tap the name of the home that you want to control.

4. Once you've selected a home, you can edit the device controls shown in the widget by following the steps under 'Sync your Home app Favourites' or 'Choose a custom set of widget controls'.

Resize your Favourites widget

1. Tap and hold the widget on your Home screen.
2. Lift your finger. If the widget can be resized, an outline with dots is visible on the sides.
3. To resize the widget, drag the dots.
4. When you've finished, tap outside the widget.

How to control devices in the widget

Check the status of your device through your Favourites 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 colour shade of the device tile will change.

Some devices can be switched on or off with the Favourites widget (kitchen lights, bedroom blinds, etc.). Tap the device tile that 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 or garage doors or checking the cameras, require different levels of user authentication. This is to keep your home safe and under your control.