Control smart home devices with the Favorites widget
Important: The Assistant Favorites tile is no longer available. Use the Gemini app for voice experiences.
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. To use this feature, make sure to update to the latest version of the Google Home app.
Before you set up your Favorites widget, you must first add a home and set up smart home devices in your Home app 👁 Google Home Application Icon
. Once your devices are set up, you can add them to your Favorites list. This includes lights, cameras, Matter-enabled devices, and other compatible smart home products.
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.
-
Open the Google Home app 👁 Google Home Application Icon
. - Tap Create Home 👁 Image
. - Name your home 👁 and then
Next. - Follow the on screen steps.
How to add the Favorites widget to your Home screen
From smart locks to lighting, the widget lets you manage and access your smart home devices in a convenient way. To add the Favorites widget to your iOS device’s Home Screen, follow the instructions for your iOS version.
Widget sizes are limited to 3 standard options:
Small
Medium
Large
Note: In Standby mode, the default widget size is small.
Once added to your Home screen, devices should sync with your Favorites from the app. If you haven't selected Favorites in the Google Home app, you can follow the prompt from the widget to add Favorites. The number of devices shown will depend on the number of devices selected, the size of the widget, and size of your device’s screen.
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On the widget, click Add favorites.
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On your favorites picker screen, select the favorites that will show on your widget.
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After selecting your favorites, click Save.
Edit your Favorites widget through the Widget Settings
-
Tap and hold the widget, select Widget controls.
- Tap Favorites 👁 Image
to sync with your favorites in the Home 👁 Google Home Application Icon
app.
in the Home app, your widget will refresh to reflect the latest changes from the app.
You can modify your Favorites list specifically for the widget through the settings page.
-
Tap and hold the widget 👁 and then
Edit Widget 👁 information
. -
Select Widget controls 👁 and then
Custom 👁 and then
Add new item 👁 Image
.
-
Select a device.
-
Select Add new item for each device you want to add.
-
Tap outside the settings window to exit and save your changes.
Note: The number of devices visible within the widget may be limited by the widget size.
Rearrange your favorites through the widget settings.
-
Tap and hold the Favorites widget.
-
Tap Edit Widget 👁 information
. -
Tap and hold the reorder button 👁 Image
next to the favorite's name. -
Drag up or down to rearrange your favorites list.
If you select Favorites for widget controls, ordering will be the same as what is in the app.
- Tap and hold the widget.
- Select Remove Widget 👁 Red minus sign icon
. - Remove Widget confirmation will appear 👁 and then
tap Remove.
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 👁 Google Home Application Icon
.
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.