Google Home now lets you control who can use your smart devices
As Google is rolling out new role-based access controls.
Smart homes are meant to be convenient, but when everyone in the house has the same level of access to your gadgets, things can get messy. Maybe your kid turns off the lights mid-meeting, or a guest fiddles with thermostat settings they shouldn’t even see.
Until now, Google Home didn’t offer much flexibility when it came to managing who could do what, but that’s changing with its latest update. In version 3.33 of the Google Home app, Google is rolling out new role-based access controls. This means you can now assign “Admin” or “Member” roles to anyone in your household.
Oyinebiladou Omemu
As the name suggests, Admins get the full set of keys. They can control devices, manage settings, and add or remove users. Members, on the other hand, start off with just the basics, like turning lights on or off or checking a camera’s live feed.
Additionally, Admins can still give Members a bit more power if needed. You can manually enable “Settings” access, which allows them to tinker with device and home-wide settings, or turn on “Activity” access so they can review event history, like when a doorbell camera detects movement. This level of customisation wasn’t possible before, where you either had to give someone full control or rely on voice assistant workarounds.
Compared to home devices like Amazon Alexa, which have had Guest Connect and Household Profiles for a while, Google’s new approach brings a similar level of flexibility to its smart home ecosystem. Instead of blanket access, users can be granted specific capabilities based on what they actually need, which is especially helpful in larger homes or shared living spaces.
Kelechi Edeh
This update also simplifies things for families. Adding children under 13 to Google Home used to be a bit of a hassle, requiring you to jump through Family Link and various settings menus. Now, once a child’s account is set up via Family Link, you can invite them directly from the Home app, and they’ll be added as a Member by default.
In short, Google’s new access controls finally bring some much-needed structure to the smart home experience. Whether you’re setting boundaries for your kids or letting a houseguest control the AC without touching everything else, this update puts you back in charge, without making things complicated.
