Google has announced a major update to its smart home platform, Google Home, adding support for programmable switches, also known as buttons. Google Home users can now use buttons to trigger automations or control devices in their smart home, such as turning lights on or off, opening and closing curtains, running a 'Goodnight' scene, or starting a robotic vacuum cleaner.
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Smart buttons are physical, programmable switches that can be pressed in a variety of ways: single press, double press, and long press, allowing one button to perform multiple functions. Most smart home platforms, including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and Home Assistant, support the use of buttons to control connected devices.
With the arrival of Matter, an interoperability standard for connected devices, controlling all your devices with buttons has become easier.
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Previously, Google Home didn't have this functionality, but the recent update introduced support for button presses in the Google Home app.
One reason for this update may be the recent release of Ikea's new Matter-over-Thread devices, including the $6 Bilresa , a wireless button available in two forms: with two buttons or with a scroll wheel. This expansion is expected to improve the usability of the buttons for more smart home users, especially with Ikea's large user base.
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Additionally, Google is introducing other automation improvements, such as the ability to run an automation when a robotic vacuum is in its dock, when humidity reaches a certain level, and when a device's battery status or binary state changes. The February 2 release also addresses a recurring 'Video unavailable' error.
