Google Assistant powered smart displays like the Nest Hub have seen a number of recent feature updates, including new clock faces and voice commands. A more intuitive way to group smart speakers together is perhaps the best new feature, though.
Google Assistant can show you which speakers are connected and playing music on the “Now Playing” screen. From this screen, users can add new speakers, group existing ones, or control the music with volume, play/pause and skip buttons. When grouped, the speakers will sync together, filling your entire house with tunes if you have them strategically placed.
Grouping speakers together this way is a huge improvement over having to set up groups beforehand – who wants to stop the party to take a look at the Google Home settings page? Groups added on-the-fly are not permanent, so they won’t show up as a casting option from other devices. To make a group permanent, it still has to be set up through Google Home.
The smart display update is available now on select devices including the Nest Hub, and should make its way to other devices soon. Speaker grouping is part of a larger update to smart displays that includes a revamped home screen and a bunch of new connected device controls.
