By Paul Lamkin
Publication Date: 2026-02-04 18:26:00
(Photo Illustration by Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Google Home has finally crossed off one of its longest-running feature gaps: support for smart buttons.
An update to the Google Home app introduces new automation starters, including the ability to trigger routines when a switch or button is pressed.
It’s something that Alexa, Apple Home and SmartThings users have been able to do for years so it was a massive black mark against Google Home that we can now scrub off.
Smart home buttons are simple physical controls that let you run automations without reaching for your phone or shouting at a speaker.
A single press might turn on lights, a double press could lower the blinds, and a long press could kick off a morning routine; firing up the coffee maker, starting the robot vacuum and more.
For many smart home users, yours truly included; they are still one of the most practical ways to control multiple devices at once.
With…