Smart home devices, with all their quirks and capabilities, are only part of the equation. The other part is the app they use for settings, control and general account management.

Turn your tablet into a general-purpose tablet, but locate it centrally on a charging dock and pin a smart home control app so that it's the default interface. This doesn't have to be a Fire tablet.

The smart home controller app has had a complete overhaul, including a much-needed new Favorites tab, an improved camera interface, support for dozens of new device types, and more controls for ...

Google has started rolling out Android 15 to Pixel devices today, introducing several new features such as Private Space, partial screen sharing, app pairs, and a new screensaver called Home Controls.

The smart home has an interface problem. Searching for an app on your phone, fighting with a confused voice assistant, and fiddling with a “smart” display to turn off a light is enough to send ...

Instead, development has been going into Google Home, the company’s main smart-home app used with the newer Nest Thermostat, below. This puts the Nest Learning Thermostat in a holding pattern ...

Google Home’s web dashboard is less functional than the mobile app, but it still lets you view live Nest camera feeds and execute automation routines from your PC. You’ll find it by heading to ...

Android Auto is getting a new app category. Google has announced that Internet of Things apps (or smart home apps) for cars are now supported by the Play Store.