In a recent Reddit AMA, Google revealed it’s working on multiple projects for its smart home platform. Chief among these is the introduction of an offline mode. The way Google Home currently works, as explained by Android Authority, is commands sent to a device are transmitted through company servers first before affecting your network. If your internet ever goes out, commands cannot be sent at all which can be frustrating for homeowners. Offline mode will directly address this by enabling local control.
It may, however, be a while until we see the feature rollout. One of the Google devs told a commenter that the team is focusing more on routing device interaction locally through the Matter standard. They’re doing this first because they want to establish a stable software foundation with low latency before moving forward. “Once…. a significant portion of your traffic [is] running locally,” the company will look into establishing an offline mode for Google Home.
