Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- We’ve spotted strings suggesting that the Google Home app could support smoke and carbon monoxide sensors in the future.
- This would help devices like the Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm integrate with the Google Home app and no longer need the Nest Protect app for its critical functionality.
A smart home not only offers more convenience, but it can also offer you more peace of mind. Devices like smart security cameras and smart smoke sensors can add a layer of automated vigilance, and thanks to their smart features, you can build further automation over their functionality. Curiously, Google’s signature smart home app, Google Home, does not support its own Nest Protect smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detection sensors, rendering your smart home setup incomplete without the Nest Protect app. Google could soon fix this oversight by integrating support for smoke and CO sensors into Google Home.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
An internal testing version of the Google Home app reveals that Google is working on integrating support for smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detection devices. We could locate a bunch of strings related to this possible feature, some of which are reproduced below:
Code
Location will be used to find, silence, and test smoke & CO devices
Try moving closer to your smoke & CO alarm and make sure it’s online
This is only a test. The alarm will sound. The alarm is loud.
All compatible smoke & CO devices will be tested
Smoke & Carbon monoxide detected
Emergency • Smoke & CO detected. Move to fresh air.
Smoke & Carbon monoxide detected
This alarm can’t be silenced because smoke levels are too high
Can’t silence. Smoke level too high.
There is a problem with the smoke sensor. This device needs attention.
Smoke sensor problem. Replace device now.As you can see, the strings are rather straightforward. The Google Home app could soon allow you to connect to smoke and CO devices and test them with a loud alarm. Presumably, once the devices have been tested as compatible, they can be used to present smoke and carbon monoxide notifications and alarms. These notifications and alarms could be persistent, highlighting the situation’s urgency. The Google Home app could also possibly notify you if there is a need to replace the device.
On the face of it, it looks like the Google Home app could support the wide variety of smart smoke sensors available on the market. There’s nothing here to indicate any exclusivity, but it is worth pointing out that Google Home does not support the currently available Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm, one of the best Google Nest products out there. Nest Protect users have to use the Nest app for the smoke detection alarm. So integrating the feature into Google Home will allow the Google Home app to serve as a one-stop-shop for all your smart home devices and further allow you to build out automation and more with these smoke and CO sensors.
It’s not immediately clear if the current Nest Protect will be supported, or if this support is being added for a future version of the Nest Protect.
Google Nest Protect
Google Nest Protect (Battery) packaged with a Google Seal for Online Marketplace.
Smoke and carbon monoxide sensor support is not currently available in the Google Home app. We’ll keep you updated when we learn more about this feature.
