Google Nest Hub

More owners of the first-generation Nest Hub are receiving the update to Google’s Fuchsia operating system as it expands beyond the Preview program.

Smart Displays are very useful for checking the weather at a glance and Google is now showing air quality index (AQI) on the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max directly in the Photo Frame/”Ambient screen.” 

Since late May, Fuchsia has been rolling out to Google’s first-generation Assistant Smart Display. More Nest Hubs are receiving the Fuchsia OS update now, and some users are seeing their screens go purple, but there’s, fortunately, a quick fix.

As we speak, Google is actively rolling out Fuchsia OS for the first time starting on the first-generation Nest Hub as a replacement to the older Cast OS. It’s a huge milestone for the operating system, but given Google’s goal to make the replacement entirely seamless, can you actually tell the difference? Let’s take a look.

Last month, Google officially released their from-scratch operating system, Fuchsia, starting with select first-generation Nest Hubs. Here are a few different ways to know whether or not your Google Nest Hub has been updated to Fuchsia OS.

Google’s Assistant Smart Displays have always had a built-in web browser that you could rather easily access. That rudimentary Nest Hub browser now has a keyboard and a handful of other features to advance the experience.

Assistant Smart Displays can either display a clock or photos when they are not actively used. Google is now offering a new background “Photo Frame” that brings the Weather Frog from mobile Search to Nest Hubs.

Google’s long-in-development, from-scratch operating system, Fuchsia, is now running on real Made by Google devices, namely, the first-generation Nest Hub.

Google’s long in-development operating system Fuchsia has taken one step closer to running on real devices, as a Bluetooth listing shows the Nest Hub running “Fuchsia 1.0.”

At the end of March, Made by Google started shipping its latest Smart Display in six countries. Google will be making the new Nest Hub (2nd gen) more widely available in Europe next month.

Back in October, Smart Displays saw a big UI and navigation redesign. Google is now tweaking the order of tabs for some Nest Hub users to put an unfortunately large emphasis on Assistant games, though this results in a bug on a second-gen model that sees “Wellness” disappear.

Often the two-year period between a device launch and its proposed follow-up brings with it a whole host of changes and improvements. The original Nest Hub — formerly the Home Hub — has now been superseded by the Nest Hub 2nd gen, and it raises questions as to which is right for you.

Besides the Photo frame background feature on Smart Displays, you can use Google Assistant to see other uploaded pictures in your collection. In addition to viewing, Nest Hub users will soon be able to share multiple photos in bulk via voice command.

Technology today is already quite assistive, from location-aware reminders to notifications telling you when to leave, factoring in live traffic conditions. In fact, that’s now the base level of usefulness we expect from our gadgets. After using Google’s 2nd-gen Nest Hub for the past week, I experienced the next level of computers passively suggesting what improvements can be made in your life, and it will take some time to get used to.

In deciding to not put a camera on what was initially called the Home Hub, Google made its first Assistant Smart Display ideal for nightstands. The new 2nd-generation Nest Hub is further embracing that role with Sleep Sensing to track your rest. Otherwise, it looks the same and is not that much more expensive than the original.

If you’re a Google Home/Nest Hub owner, there’s a chance you’ve noticed an issue over the past few weeks that sees the device putting out no sound at all. Luckily, there is a possible workaround, and Google is on the case.

Back in October, Google rolled out a big revamp for Assistant Smart Displays that organized key functions in dedicated tabs and added a dark theme. While an improvement over the previous design in most ways, the old Nest Hub UI had one advantage in regards to quickly accessing Home control.

Following yesterday’s premature appearance, Google has released three new clock faces for the Nest Hub and Hub Max. These additions join the existing eight Fullscreen clock background for those who don’t want to set a photo album.