Enhancing control and security within your smart home just became simpler. The google Home application is rolling out a valuable new feature: a “member” role. This updated access level offers greater flexibility for sharing smart home control with family, roommates, or guests while maintaining vital limitations. It even includes support for adding children’s accounts, marking a significant step in family-friendly smart home management.
Detailed recently, the Google Home app’s v3.33 update brings this “Member” role into wider availability. This same update also included notable improvements to scrubbing Nest video history, indicating Google’s focus on refining user experience and security within its smart home ecosystem.
Understanding the New Google Home Member Role
The core function of the “Member” role in the Google Home app is straightforward: granting access to interact with devices but imposing clear restrictions on administrative functions. Imagine wanting to give your roommate the ability to turn on lights or check a camera feed without the power to accidentally (or intentionally) reset your entire smart home setup. That’s precisely the problem the Member role solves. It’s built on trust, allowing essential interaction without oversharing control.
Google highlights the purpose: allowing safe and efficient access sharing with various individuals you trust within your home network. The goal is to prevent unintended changes by granting only necessary permissions.
Default Abilities and Strict Limitations
By default, inviting someone into your home using the new Member role provides a foundational level of device control. These users can easily operate devices like smart lights, thermostats, or view live feeds from compatible cameras. Think of basic functions such as switching devices on or off.
However, the crucial aspect is what Members cannot do by default. The default settings are highly restrictive to protect the home’s configuration. A Member user cannot:
Add or remove new devices.
Edit the settings of existing devices beyond basic operation.
Perform critical actions like deleting the entire home setup.
Manage or remove other people who have access to the home.
Link subscriptions to the home.
Share devices or collected data with third-party partner services.
Set up or manage presence sensing features for the home or shared devices.
Access device history or home-wide activity logs.
Manage specific home-wide settings (like automations, home address, Nest Wifi features, or Nest Aware/Renew features).
Use the home’s devices via the older Nest app interface.
Manage camera clip-lending.
Delete any history within the home.
This limited default state ensures that administrative privileges remain solely with the Admin user, significantly bolstering security against accidental misconfiguration or unwanted changes.
Expanding Access: Additional Permissions for Members
While the default Member role is quite restricted, Google understands that some trusted individuals might need slightly elevated access. The Google Home app now includes options to grant additional permissions to a Member, moving them beyond the basic level.
These additional permission groups are designed to offer more utility without granting full administrative power. You can specifically enable access to certain types of information or settings for individual Members.
Enabling ‘Activity’ Access
Granting a Member “Activity” access unlocks the ability for them to view the history logs within the home. This includes potentially sensitive information but can be necessary for shared management. With Activity access, a Member can check:
Camera history logs.
Smart lock events.
Nest Wifi device network history.
Home presence history.
This level is useful for someone who helps manage the home day-to-day and needs to review past events, but it still doesn’t allow them to change configurations or manage users.
Enabling ‘Settings’ Access
Providing a Member with “Settings” access grants them broader control over certain home configurations. This is a more powerful permission and should be assigned carefully. With Settings access, a Member can manage:
Household automations.
The designated home address.
Features related to Nest Wifi devices and network settings.
Specific features within Nest Aware and Nest Renew services.
Gain full device control and access most device-specific settings.
Crucially, even with Settings access enabled, the Member role remains distinct from the Admin role. Members with Settings access still cannot perform core administrative tasks like deleting the home, managing other people’s access, adding or removing devices, linking subscriptions, or deleting history logs.
Admin vs. Member: Key Differences at a Glance
Understanding the fundamental split between the Admin and Member roles is key to managing your Google Home setup securely. The Admin is the primary controller, holding all permissions, while the Member operates within defined boundaries. Here’s a breakdown of actions restricted exclusively to the Admin:
Adding, Managing, or Removing People: Only the Admin can invite or remove others from the home.
Deleting the Home: The power to disband the entire smart home setup rests solely with the Admin.
Adding and Removing Devices: Installing new smart devices or removing existing ones requires Admin privileges.
Sharing Devices and Data with Partner Services: Connecting your smart home data to third-party services is an Admin-only action.
Linking a Subscription to the Home: Services like Nest Aware subscriptions are managed by the Admin.
Setting Up or Managing Presence Sensing: Configuring how the home detects who is present is an Admin task.
Using Devices in the Legacy Nest App: Accessing smart devices through the older Nest app interface is generally limited to the Admin.
Checking or Managing Camera Clip-Lending: Admin handles permissions related to sharing camera clips.
Deletion of Any History in the Home: Clearing event logs or camera history can only be done by the Admin.
Both Admin and Member users share capabilities like basic device controls (e.g., live camera views) and managing their own personal settings (Assistant features like Voice and Face Match, personal presence). This tiered approach provides granular control suitable for different levels of trust and responsibility within a shared household.
Welcoming Children: Google Home Access for Young Users
One of the most significant new features enabled by the Member role is the ability to add children under a specific age threshold to your Google Home setup. Previously, accounts managed under Google’s family settings for young users couldn’t access the Home app.
Now, for the first time, Google accounts for children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age requirement in your country) can be included. This functionality depends on one critical condition: the child’s account must be part of your Google family group, managed by the Admin of the Google Home.
When adding a child’s account, they can only be assigned the “Member” role. They cannot be made an Admin. This strict limitation ensures that younger users have safe, controlled access to the smart home environment.
With this capability, children can use the Google Home app for simple, everyday tasks. This might include turning lights on or off when they enter a room, controlling music playback, or potentially even unlocking a compatible smart door lock when they arrive home from school. This provides a convenient way for children to interact with the smart home while giving parents peace of mind about the scope of their access. It requires careful setup by the Admin, ensuring devices the child can control are appropriate.
Why Utilize the Google Home Member Role?
Implementing the Member role offers several practical advantages for shared living spaces and families.
Enhanced Security: Limits who can make critical changes, reducing the risk of accidental misconfigurations or unauthorized access modifications.
Tailored Access: Provides specific individuals with the control they need (like basic device operation or history viewing) without granting excessive permissions.
Simplified Sharing: Makes it easier and safer to grant temporary or permanent access to guests, family members, or roommates.
Child Safety & Convenience: Allows younger family members to participate in smart home control in a secure, age-appropriate way.
- Prevents Accidental Issues: Protects against someone unfamiliar with the app accidentally deleting devices, changing settings, or disrupting automations.
- Opening the Google Home app.
- Navigating to the home settings.
- Selecting the option to invite a new person to the home.
- Choosing the individual from your contacts or entering their Google Account email address.
- Selecting the “Member” role for the invitation.
- Sending the invitation.
- 9to5google.com
- www.rescue.org
- www.ncdhhs.gov
- www.gov.uk
- www.uchicagomedicine.org
Whether you live with roommates, have extended family visiting frequently, employ household staff, or simply want your older parents or children to have specific access points, the Member role offers a structured, secure solution for sharing your connected living space.
How to Invite a Member to Your Home
Adding a new Member to your Google Home is initiated by the Admin user directly within the Google Home app. The process typically involves:
The invited individual will receive a notification and must accept the invitation to gain access to the home with the specified Member permissions. The Admin can later adjust the additional permissions (Activity, Settings) for that Member through the home settings if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific actions are restricted for Google Home Members by default?
By default, Google Home Members have very limited control. They can operate devices with basic functions (like turning lights on/off or viewing live camera feeds) but cannot add or remove devices, edit most device settings, delete the home, manage other users, link subscriptions, share data with partners, set up presence sensing, access history, manage home-wide settings, or delete history.
How can I allow a Google Home Member to see device history or manage specific settings?
As the Admin, you can grant a Member additional permissions through the Google Home app. Granting “Activity” access allows them to view device and home history (camera, lock, Nest Wifi, presence). Granting “Settings” access allows them to manage household automations, the home address, Nest Wifi settings, Nest Aware/Renew features, and gain full device control/settings access. These are optional add-ons to the basic Member role.
Can children under 13 safely use the Google Home app, and what can they control?
Yes, with the new Member role, children under 13 (or the local applicable age) whose Google accounts are part of your Google family group can be added to your Google Home. They can only be added as a Member. This allows them to use the app for basic actions like controlling lights, music, or potentially smart locks (depending on your setup), providing convenience while keeping them from accessing or changing core configurations.
Conclusion
The introduction and broad availability of the Google Home app’s “Member” role, especially with its support for child accounts, represents a significant improvement in smart home access management. It provides a robust, secure, and flexible way for the primary Admin user to share control of devices without compromising the overall configuration or security of the home. By clearly delineating permissions and offering optional elevated access levels, Google is empowering users to create safer, more functional smart home environments for everyone in the household, from roommates to young children. This update reflects a growing maturity in smart home platforms, addressing the real-world need for nuanced access control beyond just a single administrator.
