Byte-Sized Brief
- The Google Home app now has a Member role.
- As Members, kids can manage smart home activities.
- Children under 13 have only basic device access.
If you’re a parent and Google Home app user, you can now add smart home management to your kids’ chore list. With the most recent app update, users can add children and teens as a Member. This new feature allows children to use the Google Home app independently to participate in routine activities such as turning off lights, unlocking the door, and controlling music playback.
Members have basic device control and can’t add or delete devices or link services. However, if you want a Member to have full device and home automation control, you can toggle on the Settings permission. To grant device history access on top of the basics, you can turn on the Activity setting. For kiddos under 13, they’ll need a Google child account, and a parent needs Parent status in a Family Link group to invite them to a home. As another safeguard, children under 13 are given Member status automatically, and Settings and Activity access are off by default.
The Bottom Line
With the Google Home app’s most recent update, parents can add children (and other trusted loved ones) as a Member to their smart home. Member status limits device control to children under 13, but older kids can be more involving if you give them Settings access.
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