Google is finally giving enough attention to its smartwatch platform. Over the past year, the company brought many new features to Wear OS 3 that it co-developed with Samsung. It has also launched redesigned first-party apps for Wear OS smartwatches. Today, the company has started rolling out the redesigned Google Home app to Wear OS 3 smartwatches.
During Google I/O 2023, the company announced that it will release a redesigned Google Home app for Wear OS. Now, Google has started rolling out (via 9To5Google) the new Google Home app (version 2.66) to smartwatches running Wear OS, including the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 5. Once the app is updated, it shows you your favorites section where you can control smart home devices. You can see up to five devices and automations. To see more devices or automation, you need to click the View All button.
Toward the bottom of the app, there is a Devices button that shows you all your smart home devices that are arranged by rooms. The Settings button takes you to account settings and legal information. The new app offers more controls for lights and thermostats. Apart from turning them off/on, you can choose a smart light's brightness and color. You can also switch modes.
For casted content on compatible smart speakers, smart displays, or smart TVs, you can control media playback with the next track, play/pause, previous track, and volume adjustment buttons. You can also lock/unlock supported devices from the redesigned Google Home app. The updated Google Home app can be downloaded from the Play Store.