What you need to know
- Google Home now lets you manually search for smart home devices when QR code or automatic pairing fails.
- A new "Add a different way" option shows supported brands and a search bar to quickly find devices.
- The updated pairing flow includes device images, helping confirm you are setting up the correct product.
- The feature is rolling out with Google Home app version 4.6.55.1 and should reach more users soon.
Google is rolling out a new update for the Google Home app that brings a genuinely useful quality-of-life improvement, making it much easier to add new smart home devices.
Right now, Google Home mostly relies on scanning a QR code on the device or automatically detecting nearby unpaired devices and prompting you to set them up. However, if neither of those methods works, the pairing process requires you to manually start again. That's now changing, as Google Home is adding a manual device search option.
As spotted by Android Authority, Google is rolling out an update that lets users manually search for third-party smart home devices directly within the app when QR-based or automatic pairing fails. The new screen shows a list of supported brands, along with a search bar that lets you quickly find your specific device and start the pairing process.
Google Home now lets you find devices manually
The app now includes a new button called "Add a different way," which brings up a list of popular smart home device makers with a search bar at the top. Once you select a device, Google Home will again prompt you to pair it using a QR code or, if that doesn't work, manually enter the pairing code found on the device or its packaging.
The publication also notes that, for many devices, the new pairing flow includes images of the product you're about to set up. This makes it easier to confirm you're pairing the correct device before continuing.
The feature appears to be rolling out widely with version 4.6.55.1 of the Google Home app. If you don't see the new pairing option yet, make sure you're running the latest version. If it's still missing, it may be a server-side rollout, but since it's already live for some users, it should reach everyone soon.
