Google Nest Hub Features On An Android Tablet

Click here to see a video that shows you how to re-purpose an old Android tablet into something more useful. The guy explains what you need to do to set up a 'kiosk' like system [for shared use] and the bits of software and configuration options required. Note you could use the same mechanisms to set up different 'kiosk' style App that does not necessarily have to be under a different user.

Single Account

Under normal circumstance devices on your home network are all controlled by the 'owner' who configures them using the "Home" App [Android & iPhone] to suit requirements.

Multiple Accounts

If required devices on your network can be organised into two or more groups that are administered by different users - each using a copy of the "Home" app on their own smartphone. This allows for greater levels of personalisation that can be very useful. 

Useful Reading

Click here to visit a DigitalTrends article from Dec 2021 called "How to add multiple users to your Google Home device"

N.B. The above covers a lot of information and explains how to "Set Up" everything, then goes through "Customisations"
[including Voice Match, Music services, Video services, Google Duo, Google Photos] noting that other customisation
options are available, and finally explains about your "Preferences".

Click here to visit a Google support page "Learn about Family Accounts and how to share access to your Nest home" 

Click here to visit a CNET article from Aug 2017 called "How to add multiple accounts to Google Home"

04/06/2022 : Nest Hub Max

The second Max device purchased came with some leaflets containing useful information.

Privacy

The camera and microphones can be temporarily disable by sliding the switch at the rear of the screen near it's top edge.

If you want to keep speech facilities active, but turn off the camera, then swipe up on the front screen to reveal options - when the camera is toggled off an indicator is displayed on screen until it is turned back on.

Help & Activity

To get further help with your Google Nest Hub Max visit g.co/hub/help

The microphones [when activated] are used by Google Assistant to send parts of your voice called Query Data to the servers for processing. You can review and delete your Query Data whenever you like at myactivity.google.com

Google Nest Hub Features : 2022 Updates

Click here to see an article "Nest Hub Fuchsia OS Update Brings Bluetooth Menu & App launcher" from May 2022 by AndroidHeadlines.

Click here to see an article "Original Nest Hub gets app launcher, Bluetooth menu with latest ‘Fuchsia version’ preview update" from May 2022 by 9to5google. 

Google Nest Help

Click here to see a Google support page that provides a really comprehensive index of all the features available which link to more pages with detailed information for each topic. 

New Google Assistant Features : 2021 Update

Click here to see a comprehensive list, from HowToGeek, of what you can get it to do.

Click here to see an Express article called "New Google Nest feature is designed to get your day off to a better start" that goes through a number of changes that include  a new swipe up action from the homepage to access a list of all current alarms. Here you will find a prominent Set An Alarm button in the lower left-hand corner which is very handy. Previously you had to use the voice-activated Google Assistant to set-up a new alarm.

Control your smart home devices

The following links are from a CNET article in November 2021 about how Google Home speakers can serve as a central hub for all of your smart devices. 

For the most part, they can control any smart home product you already have. To get started:

Check out the master list of Google Home-compatible smart home devices before you buy.

Here are seven ways to build your smart home around Google Home.

Learn how to control your lights and thermostat with Google Home.

New Google Assistant Features to Close Out 2020 by Bret

Click here to see an 11 minute video from mid Dec 2020 that showcases a number of features announced at CES2020 [see entry bottom of this page] and introduced during the year.

Or, just jump in to the video at these timer points to see a specific item ....

00:00 Introduction to "New Google Assistant Features"

00:37 Seamless Setup [featuring Yeelight smartlights]

04:17 Scheduled Actions [setting up actions to be performed a specific times]

05:22 Leave a Note [works by displaying messages, like a traditional 'sticky' note, on your hub's screen for up to 24 hours]

06:22 Household Contacts [make FREE calls or videos with your friend and family]

07:41 Read This [get information read out to you]

08:50 Deleting Assistant History [erase details of last spoken command if you do not want it to be retained in your account history]

Bret uses a Wifi controlled E27 Yeelight during the first demonstration [these devices will set you back £18+ on eBay] but did you know that this is not the only solution available for creating some cool lighting effects.

If you're interested in something that takes less setting up [without using Google Assistant and Wifi] then click here to see what was available on eBay [UK] in Dec 2020 where you can buy a colour changing bulbs that take some beating. For example a pair of E14 bulbs complete with their remote handset can be delivered to your door for only £8.29.

More videos by Bret

The above videos were made by a guy called Bret - if you would like to see more of his excellent "Tech With Bret" video clips then click here to see the results of a 'canned' Youtube search. 

Click here to see a video clip featuring the home hub that comes with a great display, excellent sound and a camera with it's own privacy cover included.

Click here for a page of several reviews at AndroidPit of the premium smart home hub

Click here for a video [by Brian, a regular 'Automate' vlogger] from Oct 2020 called "The NEW Google Smart Display Interface! - FULL Walkthrough"

Make video Calls With A Smart Display

Click here to see a 9to5google guide that covers many points - if you page down you should find an entry for "Nest Hub Max, Smart Displays now support Google Duo and Meet group calls" dated 25/06/2020.

Click here to visit a Google support page that tells you how to "Make Duo calls with your speakers or displays"

Tips for elderly or non-tech users

Click here for a detailed guide on Reddit that you can use to get your videoing setup working. 

Tip for remote control of a device that you have registered.

Click here to go straight to a paragraph within the above guide that tells you how to remotely access and control someone else's device.

What is "Look and Talk" ?

The extract below is an interesting snippet. 

Click here to see the full article "No more 'Hey Google' — how to activate Look and Talk on your Nest Hub Max" from 17/05/2022 at Tom's Guide.

Extract for "Look and Talk"

Click here to see full article at Tom's Guide.

 As the name suggests, "Look and Talk" will allow users to simply look at the Nest Hub Max to activate Google Assistant. It does away with the need to say “Hey Google." If turned on, you can just turn and look at the Nest Hub Max to command Google Assistant. 

The feature allows the onboard camera to detect your glance and activates the microphone for commands, without the need for the “Hey Google” prompt. 

You have to have the feature turned on in your settings and you have to be at least 5 feet away for it to work. Google also reiterates that Face Match and Voice Match have to be manually enabled, so it works smoothly.

How to turn on "Look and Talk"

 “Look and talk” is disabled by default. To turn it on, go into your Google Home app, tap on Nest Hub Max and then to the device’s settings. Go into “Recognition & sharing” and the feature will be under the “Face match” menu. Toggle it on to enable the feature. 

Now every time you look at your Nest Hub Max, be ready to command it because it is listening to you. 

Note: If you're worried about privacy, there is a manual switch that blocks the camera and the mics on the Nest Hub Max. However, doing so will disable Look and Talk.

There's more

Google is also planning to bring Quick Phrases from the Google Pixel 6 to the Nest Hub Max. This means for some preset commands, you won’t have to use the “Hey Google” hot word beforehand. Some of the phrases include — set or cancel a timer or alarm; ask for the time; turn the lights on or off; dim or brighten the lights; ask for the weather.

Google says you will have to have Voice Match enabled and you will have to select which phrases you want Google Assistant to listen for, for this to work. 

This feature doesn’t seem to have rolled out just yet, although we can expect it to come to our Nest Hub Max this summer. 

Extracted from Google Blog of CES2020

Built for families

Smart speakers and Smart Displays can be powerful tools to help people communicate and stay on the same page. This year, we’re thinking about how the Assistant can better help households stay organised and connected. 

With household notes, you will soon be able to clear out the clutter of paper notes around the house and ensure notes are seen in one central location by creating digital sticky notes with the Assistant on your Smart Display. Anyone at home can create or view these notes without needing to sign in. For example, as you head out the door in the morning, you can leave a note informing other household members that you already fed your pet. Simply say, “Hey Google, leave a note that says I already fed Max breakfast.”

You can also put your most important contacts on “speed dial” with household contacts, so that anyone at home can quickly and easily make calls on your speakers and Smart Displays. Once set up, anyone can dial your neighbour Sarah by saying "Hey Google, call Sarah" or by tapping on Sarah's name on your Smart Display's household contacts list. Both features will be rolling out later this year.

Advancing speech technology 

One of the strengths of the Assistant is how we can use our advancements in language understanding and speech to bring helpful features to your phone. Today at CES, we’re previewing a new experience that enables natural reading of long-form content. Unlike traditional screen readers, this experience is built on new voice datasets to create more expressive and more natural sounding voices, so it’s easier to listen for a longer period of time. There are many potential ways in which this can be helpful, but one area we’re exploring is reading webpages with long-form content on your phone—like a news article, blog or short story—out loud. From your Android device, just say “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” when you’re viewing an article. The content can be translated into 42 languages, such as Hindi, German or Spanish. We’re also looking to include auto-scroll and text highlighting capabilities that help users read the text as it’s being read aloud.

Interpreter mode, a real-time translation feature for your phone, Smart Display or smart speaker, allows people to have free-flowing conversations with eachother⁠—even if they don’t speak the same language. Starting today, businesses around the world can bring interpreter mode to their guests through our partners Volara and SONIFI. As part of this new solution, we’re expanding the technology to new hotels, airports, sports stadiums, organisations aiding humanitarian efforts and more. 

Designed for privacy

Continuing our commitment to privacy, the Google Assistant is built to keep your information private, safe and secure. For instance, the Assistant is designed to wait in standby mode until it is activated, like when you say “Hey Google.” And when it’s in standby mode, the Assistant won’t send what you are saying to Google or anyone else. By default, we don’t retain your audio recordings and you can decide if you’d like us to keep your audio to make Google speech products more helpful to you and better for everyone. 

It’s easier than ever to use Google’s privacy controls with a little help from the Assistant. Ask questions like “How do you keep my information private?” to get answers to the most common privacy and security questions. And with just your voice, you can delete Assistant activity from your Google Account by saying things like “Hey Google, delete everything I said to you this week.”

At CES, we also announced we’re adding two new voice actions for people to easily control their privacy, such as “Hey Google, that wasn’t for you,” which lets you tell the Assistant to forget what it heard if an unintended activation occurs. You can also ask “Hey Google, are you saving my audio data?” to learn about your privacy controls and go directly into the settings screen to change your preferences.

Delete Your Recording History

Click here to read about the different ways you can control exactly what your Assistant 'hears' and 'retains' from conversations.

Coming to more TVs, cars, speakers and beyond

Google Assistant is already available on more than 1 billion devices. And soon the Assistant will be coming to lots of new smart displays, speakers, headphones and soundbars from Acer, Aftershokz, Anker Innovations, Belkin, Cleer, Harman Kardon, Konka, JBL, Lenovo, Philips, Seiki and LG. 

As the largest and most frequently used screen in the home, TVs are another important place for people to use the Assistant. We’ve updated Android TV to make it easier for TV manufacturers to build far-field mics into their TVs⁠—starting with the latest models from Hisense and TCL in the U.S.⁠—so it works like any other Assistant-enabled smart speaker. Whether your TV is turned off or you can’t find the remote, you can use the Assistant to access media and entertainment, get answers and control the TV with your voice. The Google Assistant will also be available on Samsung’s new voice-enabled Smart TVs launching in 2020. 

With the Google Assistant built into select cars with Android Automotive OS and all cars with Android Auto compatibility, you can make the most of your time in the car.  Late last year, Volvo Cars revealed its first electric car, the Volvo XC40 Recharge, would have a new infotainment system, powered by Android with the Google Assistant built in. BMW also recently announced wireless Android Auto support. 

We are focused on making the Assistant simpler to use and more helpful every day, and this is just a first peek at what you can expect from us this year.