What did the October 29 Google Home update actually add — and how do you check your smart plugs' energy use?

Google's October 29, 2026 Google Home and Gemini for Home update adds energy tracking for compatible smart plugs, wider Matter support on Android, one-tap thermostat energy settings and a Premium features menu. Here is what changed and how to find the new energy view.

Your smart plug has been running the space heater all month — and you have no earthly idea what that habit has cost you.The answer up front: A Google Home app update released October 29, 2026, as part of the Gemini for Home rollout, can now show you. For compatible smart plugs it adds energy tracking — real-time power draw and total energy used — alongside wider Matter support, quicker thermostat controls and a new Premium features menu.Why it matters: A space heater is one of the hungriest things you can plug into a wall, and until now the app could switch it on and off without ever showing what leaving it running costs. Seeing live power and a running total turns a guess into a number you can act on.

The same update expands Matter support on Android to garage doors, gates, windows and blinds, adds one-tap access to energy-saving thermostat settings, improves music transfer through Gemini for Home, and brings bug fixes on iOS and Android.How to check it, step by step:1. Update the Google Home app from your phone's app store first — the new views arrive with the October 29 release.2. Open your smart plug's page in the app and look for the new energy view, showing real-time power and total energy used.3.

Tap your profile icon to find the new Google Home Premium features menu and see what it holds.4. Re-check your Matter devices after updating, especially garage doors, gates, windows and blinds on Android, which are newly supported.5. Confirm any Nest and device firmware updates are installed, so the app and your hardware are up to date together.Common mistake: Energy numbers only appear for compatible plugs.

If the energy view is missing, check that your plug is compatible and its firmware is current before assuming the update failed.Ad's take: This is the feature I wish every smart plug had shipped with on day one. Once you see what that little heater really costs, you stop guessing and start deciding.