Google Home’s latest update makes it easier for you to start using automations


Google is rolling out a fresh batch of updates to Gemini for Home and the Google Home app, and the headline change is one that could get more users to try out automations. Version 4.20 of the Google Home app adds a handful of pre-built routines to the Automations tab, so instead of building one from scratch, you can pick one and turn it on with a tap.

No more starting from zero

Until now, setting up an automation in Google Home meant picking your own triggers, conditions, and actions, which can be a lot to figure out for less tech-savvy users. That barrier is one of the reasons why many Google Home users don’t touch automations at all.

The new feature is designed to make it easier for new users to get started by offering ready-made automations for everyday situations, like home security, morning routines, or energy savings. In a support page outlining the feature, Google explains that users can even edit the suggested automations to tailor them to their needs or dismiss a suggestion if they don’t think it’s useful.

Smarter answers, smoother conversations

Along with suggested automations, Gemini for Home is also picking up some upgrades. Weather forecasts and general knowledge answers on smart displays will now show up with refreshed visual cards, giving those responses a cleaner, more polished look on screen. Sports fans get a practical improvement too, with more accurate scores, schedules, and team standings.

Gemini’s Continued Conversation feature is also getting more reliable. Google says back-to-back commands and follow-up questions should no longer get interrupted by a voice verification prompt mid-conversation. A handful of smaller features and bug fixes round out the update, including a dedicated light toggle built into the camera view for the onn Outdoor Camera Plug-in and onn Floodlight Camera Hardwired, and more reliable device setup for older Nest cameras.



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AirPods Pro 3

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This year’s WWDC is packed with announcements, including customization to the Liquid Glass display, substantial upgrades to Siri, and more intuitive device functionality.

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If you’re an avid AirPods user, there’s one announcement that may excite you, but speakers breezed past it, offering hardly any details. Still, Apple promised a real equalizer in iOS 27, finally giving users the opportunity to customize the sound of their AirPods. 

Apple didn’t say much about the equalizer, but a brief animation showed a graphic EQ, with options to create a custom EQ profile or choose Apple’s recommended EQ settings. Users can adjust lows, mids, and highs, though it’s unclear how precise the equalizer will be.

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Previously, Apple had full faith in its headphones’ sound profile, vowing that its sound engineers crafted AirPods to sound as best as possible. Still, users prefer some control over their devices, and a custom EQ is a welcome addition.

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AirPods users could only change their AirPods sound profiles in Apple Music settings, and this customization feature still limited them to preset EQ profiles. 

An equalizer is a staple feature for consumer headphones, and even the most limited equalizers are better than none. Bose’s equalizer, for example, allows users to toggle bass, mids, and treble on a 20-point scale. 

Other companies, like JBL, offer a detailed equalizer with 10 frequency bands, adjustable in Hz. I don’t expect Apple’s equalizer to be as thorough as JBL’s, but instead to be on par with Bose’s. Either way, even if you’re content with your AirPods’ sound profile, the option to change it is what matters. 





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