Google is rolling out another important update to its system Home application. The update can only be accessed through the Public Preview program, but the new features it brings can be made available to everyone.

Starting this week, users have signed up for Google Home The Public Preview program will get access to several new features, such as Nest Protect support for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and Matter-enabled smart locks.

according to Google Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm support is only available to Public Preview users on Android, but iOS is coming soon. Thanks to the latest update, Nest Protect users will have access to the following important features:

• Get emergency notifications and smoke and carbon monoxide notifications
• Get critical status alerts such as battery health or device issues
• You can view the last time alarms were tested and perform a system-wide health check.
• Create a schedule to test automatic sound check when you are away from home
• Modify your configuration: Change system-wide and alarm-specific settings
• Watch your camera’s live feed directly from your emergency alarm card
• E911 connects to Nest Aware subscribers (US only)

Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Alerts | Image credit: Google

In addition to supporting the Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, the The Google Home app is also being updated with support for Matter-enabled smart locks. Starting this week, Google is rolling out feature improvements to third-party Matter locks in the Google Home Public Preview app on Android, with iOS arriving in early 2025. The update introduces important changes to passcode management, which will allow users to manage who has access to their home by sharing and editing passcodes for family members and guests. For example, household managers can now set passcodes to grant access. It is also now possible to create speculative passcodes to grant access to each lock. This can be updated, shared or deleted.

Google Home for Family Management | Image credit: Google

Furthermore, the update enables key settings and controller updates to be accessed and managed directly from the Home app for Matter certified locks, including:

• One-Click Entry – You can enable one-click entry instead of typing your passcode and you can lock/unlock your door remotely from the Home app with just the click of a button.
• Auto-Lock – Choose how long the lock should wait before automatically re-locking
• Vacation Mode – This mode locks the keyboard so that it cannot be opened from the outside using the touchpad. The user can turn on vacation mode using the Home app.
• One Touch Lock – Lock the door using the touchpad or button on the lock.
• Push notifications for lock events.

Keep in mind that you must have the latest version of the Google Home app installed (version 3.27 or higher) to be able to join the public preview. These new features are only available to those enrolled in the Public Preview program on Android devices, but iOS users should take advantage of these perks very soon as well.