What is Google Home and why has Google decided to change its smart home strategy?

Controlling lights, adjusting the temperature, or even asking a virtual assistant to play music once seemed futuristic, but today it’s within reach with a simple voice command. Within this ecosystem, Google has played an important role with its Google Home platform.

Since its launch, it has gradually made great strides toward becoming the control center for smart home devices. Although it initially presented itself primarily as a smart speaker with the Google Assistant built in, it has grown over time, broadening its horizons.

In recent months, Google has made significant changes to its smart home strategy, merging more Nest features into Google Home and discontinuing some Nest products, such as the Nest Protect smoke detector. The reason? Unifying its devices under a single platform streamlines the user experience.

But what exactly is Google Home? How does it work and what benefits does it offer? It’s time to learn more about this system, which devices are compatible, and how it has improved over the years.

What is Google Home? 

Google Home is a Google platform that lets you control and manage smart devices in your home. It works as a centralized system where users can connect and control lights, thermostats, security cameras, smart plugs, TVs, and more, all through an app or voice commands with the Google Assistant.

To put it simply, imagine you have several smart light bulbs in your home. With Google Home, you can ask your assistant to turn them on or off without having to touch a switch. You can also schedule your coffee maker to turn on at a certain time each morning or adjust your home’s temperature without leaving your couch. All of this can be done from the Google Home app or through devices like Google Nest speakers or even your mobile phone.

Another advantage of Google Home is its compatibility with different brands. You don’t need to purchase Google devices exclusively to work with this platform, as it’s compatible with products from companies like Philips Hue, TP-Link, Xiaomi, and others.

How has Google Home changed with Nest integration?

For years, Google has sold home devices under the Nest brand, such as thermostats, security cameras, and smoke detectors. However, with the goal of keeping things simple for its users and making its ecosystem truly a powerful all-in-one, the company has decided to integrate Nest features into Google Home.

As mentioned, one of the most significant changes implemented in 2025 was the discontinuation of Nest Protect, Google’s smoke and carbon monoxide detector. Although the product will continue to work for existing users, Google has stopped manufacturing and selling it, opting instead for a strategy where users can manage their Nest devices directly from Google Home.

This change has both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it makes controlling your smart home easier, as everything is in a single app. But on the other hand, it also means that some products may no longer receive support in the future or that users may need to adapt to a new way of managing their devices. However, it will be easier than ever.