Google Nest displays get new feature to monitor the air quality in your area

Google has just added a new air monitoring feature on the smart displays of the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max that could benefit your health and wellbeing. 

Under the devices’ settings in the Google Home app, users can now discover a new Air Quality option, situated under the photo frame menu. There are no surprises with what it does, either: the Air Quality feature displays the quality of the air in your locality.

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The update follows Google’s recent announcement that the Nest Hub would soon start to feature Air Quality (AQI) information in US devices through the Google Home app. Now, some users have spotted the setting, though 9to5Google reports that “the actual reading is not yet widely rolled out on Smart Displays.”

Those that have noticed the Air Quality badge popping up on their smart displays, as well as new temperature widgets and weather data, report that the setting doesn't need to be manually operated. As such, it doesn't need to be preconfigured ahead of time, which is super hassle-free. 

Breathe easy 

Once activated, users can then view the air quality reports (in all their color-coordinated, bar-chart glory) of the “three or so nearby stations.” You can, of course, then expand the reports and dig deeper into the metrics that the reports deliver. 

As you may well expect for these smart devices, voice commands can also be used to prompt the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max to verbally deliver the reports, as well. Hopefully, the new feature will get a wider rollout depending on how it's received in the community, but we can't imagine there'd be too much negative feedback over this health-facing feature, although you never quite know in the fast-paced world of the best smart speakers.