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Older Google TV and Chromecast devices are getting the Home Panel feature, allowing you to control your smart home devices from your TV. The feature was initially launched with the Google TV Streamer last year, but Google opened a public preview program to let users enroll older devices. Now, the feature appears to have launched widely and quietly.
The latest update began rolling out during the past 24 to 48 hours, and reports indicate users are using the Home Panel feature on discontinued Chromecast devices and Google TV sets, including Hisense TVs.
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The Home Panel on Google TV lets you control Google Home-compatible smart devices by accessing them on the right side of your TV. These devices include smart thermostats, video doorbells, security cameras, speakers, smart lights, and more. Like Apple's tvOS and Amazon's FireOS, the Home Panel can also show smart home notifications, such as a person ringing your Nest Doorbell.
The Home Panel's general availability is likely linked to a recent software update. When your Google TV device gets the latest build, you should see a pop-up when you power on your device asking to set up the Home Panel. You may not see the pop-up for the Home Panel setup if you don't have any smart home devices connected to your Google account.
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The user account on the Google streaming device must be the same account linked to Google Home. Once this update is available to your Chromecast or Google TV, it will be accessible only to Google Home users and not on children's profiles.
This indicates that existing Chromecast users may still be included in new feature rollouts and updates, even if the Chromecast has been discontinued, with no new models coming.
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