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Google Home is the search giant’s de facto home for Nest and Google-branded smart home products and the app could soon get a public preview beta variant for users to try out. At least, that’s the case based on a recent teardown of the app’s APK, performed by 9to5Google.
As per the teardown, it appears that Google is readying a way for users to request early access to features. Specifically, new Home app-related features that aren’t quite available publicly yet. Users will also have the opportunity to share feedback or report issues. The primary purpose of the public beta is, after all, to improve the app.
That’s all based on the teardown’s revealed access request page, pictured below. Google also warns, of course, that early access features can be buggy. Potentially even app-breaking or feature-breaking. So, once signed up, users will be able to opt out, switching back to the “regular” version of Google Home.
How can you sign up to beta test public preview versions of Google Home?
Now, Google hasn’t detailed any new features that might appear in the beta variant of the AI-driven app. And that’s hardly surprising since the page to sign up is still in the works and has not been released officially.
According to the source, every indication also points to limited availability for public preview testing. So, unlike the public beta versions of Android, for comparison, not everybody who requests access will get it.
When the new Public Preview for Google Home does appear officially, it will likely appear as a top banner. Or, conversely, as a pop-up informing users that they’re eligible for sign-up.
With that said, users who want to try and get in early may be able to. Google has already built the sign-up page that the in-app UI will redirect to. So the actual website can be visited already and access can be requested. Users simply need to navigate to that page on the mobile device they access Google Home from. The URL for that is “googlehome://settings/app-preview-program” without quotation marks.
