Google is making sharing control of your smart home with others is simpler. Whether it’s a trusted adult or a child, the latest update to the Google Home app now gives you more control over who can do what with your connected devices.
Share access with Admins and Members
With this new feature, you can now assign people in your household as “Admins” or “Members” when managing your smart home. Admins will have full access, meaning they can manage devices, change settings, and even control who else can access the house.
On the other hand, Members will have more limited control. They can perform basic actions like turning lights on and off or viewing live feeds from your security cameras. However, if you want to give them more control, you can enable specific permissions. You can provide a Member access to device and home settings, or allow them to view the activity history, such as when your doorbell camera picks up a visitor.
These updates make it much easier to customise smart home access based on your family’s needs. Whether you want your partner to help manage the system or allow your teen to check who’s at the front door, it’s now more straightforward to set limits without sacrificing convenience.
More straightforward setup for kids under 13
Previously, adding a child under the age of 13 to your smart home setup was a complicated task. You had to juggle between Family Link, Google Home, and Google Assistant settings to add their voice to the system—and even then, many users found it difficult to complete the process.
Now, things are much more user-friendly. If your child has a Google Account managed through Family Link, you can invite them directly through the Google Home app. Once invited, they’ll automatically be added as members with the default permissions set.
This makes it easier for younger family members to interact with smart devices safely. Whether turning on a light, adjusting the temperature, or playing music in their room, your child can now participate in the smart home experience without giving them full access to sensitive settings.
A more family-friendly smart home
These improvements are part of Google’s efforts to make smart homes family-friendly and less technical. With clearer roles, simpler setups, and easier ways to share access, it’s now more practical for everyone in your household to engage with your smart home system.
Whether you live in a busy family household or share your space with housemates, these changes make it easier to decide who should have access to what. No more confusion or hassle—open the Google Home app, invite the right people, and customise their access to suit your home.
These updates are already rolling out, so if you haven’t seen the new options yet, check your Google Home app soon. It’s one more step toward making your smart home work for the whole family.
