Control smart home devices with the Favorites widget

The Favorites widget is a Public Preview feature. Join Public Preview to try out the feature.

You can access your smart home devices using the Favorites widget. Your preferred devices are a tap away from the Home screen. The Favorites widget is only available on Android 12 or later.

Before you can set up your Favorites widget, you must first add a home and set up Google devices in your Home app. You can also add other compatible smart home products, like lights, cameras, and Matter-enabled devices. After your devices have been set up, you can add them to your Favorites list.

For added flexibility, you can sync the devices and actions in your widget with your Home app Favorites list or select your own list that is unique to the widget. You can also add multiple widgets to your Home screen.

Create or add a home in the Home app

Open the Google Home app .
Tap Settings Add .
Select Home.
Follow the on screen steps.

Tip: You can have up to 5 homes in your account.

Set up Favorites in the Home app

To change which actions or devices you have on Favorites, scroll down and tap Edit .
- To add more tiles, check the box next to the tile.
- To remove tiles, uncheck the box next to the tile.
To organize your devices, tap Reorder to drag the tiles into the position you want.

Tapping on a Favorites tile will open the controls for the smart devices you connect to the Google Home app.

How to add the Favorites widget to your Home screen

Add your Favorites widget to your Android device’s Home screen. From smart locks to lighting, the widget lets you manage and access your smart home devices in a convenient way.

Add the Favorites widget from the Home app icon

Long press your Home app icon.
Tap Widgets .
Press and hold the entire Favorites widget.
Drag and drop the Favorites widget on the home screen.

Add the Favorites widget from the Widget Library

On a Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
Tap Widgets .
Find the app that has the widget you want.
To check the list of available widgets for the app, tap the app.
Touch and hold a widget. You’ll get images of your Home screens.
Slide the widget to where you want it. Lift your finger.

Choose controls for the Favorites widget

Once added to your home screen, you will get a prompt to select which devices appear in the Favorites widget. 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.

Tap Favorites if you want your Favorite devices from the Home app to appear.
Tap Choose Custom if you'd like to select a custom set of devices to appear.

Edit your Favorites widget through the Widget Settings

Your Favorites widget can be edited through the Widget Settings . The Widget Settings lets you choose the controls for your widget, change your associated home, or edit and reorder your favorites. There are 2 ways to access the Widget Settings :

Long press the widget without touching the device tiles drag the widget and drop it on the Widget Settings .
Long press the widget and release on the home screen to enter Edit Mode. Press the small Edit button to open the Widget Settings .

Sync your Home app Favorites

In Widget Settings , select Widget controls.
Tap Favorites to sync with your favorites in the Home app.

When you edit your Favorites

in the Home app, your widget will refresh to reflect the latest changes from the app.

Choose a custom set of widget controls

In Widget Settings , select Widget controls.
Tap Custom.
Tap or untap the checkboxes of your devices to add or remove them.
Hit Save if you’re satisfied with your choices.

Note: This configuration is specific to the widget and will not change the favorites configuration on your app or other devices.

Choose a different home

In Widget Settings , select Choose home.
Tap the account with your preferred home.
Tap the name of the home you want to control.
Once you’ve selected a home, you can edit the device controls shown in the widget following the steps under Sync your Home app Favorites or Choose a custom set of widget controls.

Resize your Favorites widget

Touch and hold the widget on your Home screen.
Lift your finger. If the widget can be resized, you'll find an outline with dots on the sides.
To resize the widget, drag the dots.
When you're done, tap outside the widget.

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 on the device tile that you wish to switch 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.

Sensitive actions like opening smart locks, garage doors, or viewing cameras require different levels of user authentication. This is to ensure that your home remains safe and under your control.

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