Access your smart home devices using the Favorites widget. Your preferred devices are a tap away from the Home screen. The Favorites widget is available on iOS 17 or later and Android 12 or later. Make sure to update to the latest version of the Google Home app
to use this feature.
Before you set up your Favorites widget, you must first add a home and set up smart home devices in your Homeapp
For added flexibility, the devices and actions in your widget are synced with your Home app Favorites list. You can make your own list that is unique to the widget or add multiple widgets to your Home screen.
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Open the Google Home app
- Tap Settings Add.
- Select Home.
- Follow the on screen steps.
Tip: You can have up to 5 homes in your account.
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To change which actions or devices you have on Favorites, scroll down and tap Edit.
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To add more tiles, check the box next to the tile.
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To remove tiles, uncheck the box next to the tile.
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After you’ve selected your tiles, tap Saveto update your Favorites.
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- To organize your devices, tap Reorderto drag the tiles into the position you want.
How to add the Favorites widget to your Home screen
Add your Favorites widget to your Android device’s Home screen. From smart locks to lighting, the widget lets you manage and access your smart home devices in a convenient way.
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Tap and hold the Homeapp
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Tap Widgets.
- Press and hold the entire Favorites widget.
- Drag and drop the Favorites widget on the Home screen.
- On a Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
- Tap Widgets.
- Find the app that has the widget you want.
- To check the list of available widgets for the app, tap the app.
- Touch and hold a widget. You’ll get images of your Home screens.
- Slide the widget to where you want it. Lift your finger.
Once added to your Home screen, you'll get a prompt to select which devices appear in the Favorites widget. The number of devices shown depends on the number of devices selected, the size of the widget, and size of your device’s screen.
- Tap Favoritesif you want your Favorite devices from the Home
- Tap Choose Customif you'd like to select a custom set of devices to appear.
Edit your Favorites widget through the Widget Settings
Your Favorites widget can be edited through the Widget Settings. The Widget Settings lets you choose the controls for your widget, change your associated home, or edit and reorder your favorites. There are 2 ways to access the Widget Settings:
- Long press the widget without touching the device tilesdrag the widget and drop it on the Widget Settings.
- Long press the widget and release on the home screen to enter Edit Mode. Press the Edit button to open the Widget Settings.
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In Widget Settings, select Widget controls.
- Tap Favorites
to sync with your favorites in the Home
in the Home app, your widget will refresh to reflect the latest changes from the app.-
In Widget Settings, select Widget controls.
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Tap Custom.
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Tap or untap the checkboxes of your devices to add or remove them.
- Tap Saveif you’re satisfied with your choices.
Note:This configuration is specific to the widget and won't change the favorites configuration on your app or other devices.
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In Widget Settings, select Choose home.
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Tap the account with your preferred home.
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Tap the name of the home you want to control.
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Once you’ve selected a home, you can edit the device controls shown in the widget following the steps under Sync your Home app Favorites or Choose a custom set of widget controls.
- Tap and hold the widget on your Home screen.
- Lift your finger. If the widget can be resized, an outline with dots is visible on the sides.
- To resize the widget, drag the dots.
- When you're done, tap outside the widget.
How to control devices in the widget
Check the status of your device through your Favorites widget. The widget will indicate if the device is active or not and will refresh its status every 30 minutes. Depending on the status of the device, the color shade of the device tile will change.
Some devices can be switched on or off with the Favorites widget (kitchen lights, bedroom blinds, etc.). Tap the device tile you want to toggle on or off. Devices may take some time to complete the task but the widget will present the progress of completion.
There are devices that don’t have the toggle on or off option. If you tap on the Camera, Wi-Fi, Thermostat, and Command tiles, they instead will open the device on your Home app
Sensitive actions like opening smart locks, garage doors, or checking the cameras require different levels of user authentication. This is to keep your home safe and under your control.
