The Home app was initially a reminiscence of the Chromecast software and became almost useless the minute you were done setting up your device. An update back in October made it much smarter, giving it the ability to actually control connected objects such as lights and plugs. This was a significant improvement, as it turned the application into a smart home control center, instead of a mere setup wizard.

Thanks to Assistant, you can seamlessly control lights and plugs from different manufacturers and integrate them into routines. The Home app then brought the same integration on our phones, as it let us operate them using a unique and consistent interface. For instance, it was possible to change an entire room's brightness through the software, even if every single bulb was from a different brand. I found this particularly useful, as my living room lights are controlled by Coosa sockets and Hue bulbs, which previously required me to use two separate apps. However, it wasn't possible to use Google Home to set the lights to a different color, so I still had to revert to Assistant or Philips Hue.

Google has finally fixed this, though, with the release of version 2.9. The new software lets you access a "Color" menu when browsing your lights and lets you pick from 42 different shades. Although it's handy, I find it a little primitive as it lacks a more extensive and intuitive tint picker. Also, while it lets you switch colors, the app doesn't show the one the bulb is set to, which is problematic when you want to change an individual light's tone. Nevertheless, it's great the feature is finally available and let's hope Google will fine-tune these details in the near future.