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‘Home Panel’ brings more smart home controls to Google Pixel lockscreens [Video]

google pixel home panel

Google’s strategy for quickly accessing smart home controls via Android devices has been uprooted multiple times over the past couple of years, and at Google I/O 2023, a new version was announced. “Home Panel” is a useful new lockscreen tool that adds smart home controls to your Pixel smartphone or tablet.

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Hands-on: Google & ADT’s security system makes Nest Secure roll over in its grave

ADT and Google have been working behind the scenes for years now on a new partnership that, finally, has resulted in a new “DIY” security system. But, after getting started with “ADT Self Setup” as a Nest Secure owner, I’ve quickly learned that owners are going to be incredibly disappointed with this transition.

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google home routines mystery active

How to find and disable mystery Google Assistant routines

Google Assistant routines can be extremely helpful throughout your day, though sometimes, those routines can slip through the cracks and you find that one is starting without any interaction with your Google Assistant devices, such as a Nest Hub. This guide will take you through how you can check for mystery active Google Assistant routines in your smart home that you might want to disable.

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Hands on: SwitchBot Hub 2 adds temperature and SwitchBot gear to Google Home thanks to Matter

SwitchBot Hub 2

SwitchBot’s plethora of devices has made for some really simple and effective smart home tech, although much of it has been slightly problematic when connecting to Google Home or other ecosystems. With the newest Matter device – the Hub 2 from SwitchBot – the company’s Bluetooth devices are now able to slide into any ecosystem with ease, thanks to Matter.

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