Google improves camera playback in Home app, to mixed reactions
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Google Home 3.33 app update claims to improve camera timeline scrubbing on Android with better framerate and loading.
- A limited-access member tier is now generally available, allowing more control over shared home permissions.
- Early user feedback is mixed, with some praising the upgrade and others saying scrubbing performance is still lacking.
Google has rolled out a new update to its Google Home app that targets one of the most persistent complaints among Nest camera users. While improvements to key apps are usually a step in the right direction, not everyone is convinced the update goes far enough.
According to the latest entry on the Google changelog — dated May 28 but only published on Google’s support site yesterday — the Google Home 3.33 update brings substantially improved framerate and loading performance when scrolling through video history on Android. The goal is to make scrubbing through footage on the camera timeline smoother.
Initial user reactions to the camera improvements have been mixed in the tech world.
Also included in the update is the general release of the limited-access member tier. This lets you share your smart home with family members, roommates, or guests, while restricting what they can see and control. You can choose whether someone can only view activity or also manage device settings and automations.
Several bug fixes round out the release, addressing crashes in key areas like the Automations tab, Wi-Fi and Climate categories, and notification permissions. The update also resolves issues with inviting household members and accessing service settings for certain devices.
Initial user reactions to the camera improvements have been mixed in the tech world. In a brief exchange on X, Android Police’s Artem Russakovskii remained unimpressed with the timeline performance on one of his cameras. In reply, 9to5Google’s Ben Schoon acknowledged that it wasn’t perfect, but felt it was a clear step up from what users have dealt with over the past few years.
