Google Home could be getting multi-user support – a feature that has long been desired by users. Until now, Google Home could be linked to only one specific user’s music, data and other accounts, but recently, a card was spotted on the Home app that suggests the connected speaker will support several users soon.
Multi-user support coming to Google Home
A message on the Home app states that multiple users are supported now. Many reports, however, claim that the message was probably posted by mistake as multi-user functionality is not available in the app yet. The same card is visible in the iOS version of the app as well, notes TNW.
The message that can be seen in the “Discover” tab of the app tells users that they and other people in their home can now get a personalized experience from Assistant on their Google Home. This is the most recent sign by the search giant signaling that multi-user support is possibly on its way and will come soon. A tear-down of the application’s code had previously disclosed that the feature was in the works.
Google executives have confirmed that the multi-user support feature will be coming to Google Home soon, notes Android Headlines.
The support website for Home says, “It is not officially launched yet, it is some announcement that we are having to let our users know about the next update that we will release would allow multiple users.”
The company says that users will get notifications and the latest update from the application as soon as it is released. Currently, the Google account settings page says that the device support only a single account.
The setting page reads, “The default Google Account is the account you used to set up Google Home. Currently, Google Home supports one Google Account per Google Home device.”
The word “currently” indicates that this could change soon.
Why multi-user support is important
For home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, multi-user functionality is very important because these services have the ability to tap into all kinds of personal accounts, including music, email, and more, notes The Verge. Just imagine every person in the home having a separate Google Home; it does not make sense, does it?
Devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home are made to be used by several people instead of a single person. However, things could get a bit complex, as users have different preferences and needs. Google believes adding “multi-user support” could address the issues. By adding the feature, the search giant wants to create a service that is more personalized and caters to more people’s needs and preferences.
This new feature will hopefully also mean that the Assistant on the Google Home is catching up to the one on mobile and probably will start to provide options that were inaccessible previously due to security or privacy concerns, such as creating calendar events, sending messages and setting personal reminders, notes Android Police.
