Google Home Rolls Out Local Matter Support for Philips Hue Lights
Google Home is rolling out local Matter support for Philips Hue lights, which should shorten response times and keep controls working when home internet goes down.
With local Matter support, commands sent from the Google Home app travel over the local network instead of through the cloud, so Hue lights should respond faster and stay available as long as the local network is still running. According to the report, the update installs in the background and does not require users to re-pair their lights; users only need to install the latest Google Home release from the Android or iOS app store.
The same app update carries a set of smaller changes. Google says conversations in the Gemini for Home early access program will end more naturally, and weather temperature units will be displayed more consistently. Gemini is also being adjusted to treat the word "stop" as a command to halt media playback or silence an alarm rather than as a signal to end a conversation. Requests for "relaxing music" and similar phrases will open a media player app instead of switching to ambient sounds such as rain or white noise.
Inside the Google Home app, Google has worked on drag-and-drop stability, made smoke and carbon monoxide alarm messages more prominent, and reworked third-party controls for lights, plugs and switches. The release also includes several camera fixes. Matter hubs, meanwhile, are described as more responsive and more reliable when used through Google Home.
TechRadar noted that the Philips Hue app offers more features, but said that for users who keep other smart devices in Google Home, the faster responses and offline support are a clear gain. The outlet also described the release as arriving after several months of bugs and user complaints about the platform.