Google’s Nest Hub Smart Displays have been a great entry into the screened Assistant for the search giant. However, it hasn’t always been a smooth path– between technical issues and glaring omissions like Netflix, there have been plenty of growing pains.
Thankfully, both sides have come to a new agreement that fixes this omission from Nest Hub Smart Displays. Starting today, you can now use Netflix on these devices from Google. After over a year, the wait is finally over and you can initiate the streaming service via voice on the Nest Hub Smart Displays.
All you need to do is make sure your Netflix account is linked to the Google Home or Assistant app and use your voice. By using “Hey Google, open Netflix” you can bring up a stripped-down version of Netflix’s immersive UI. You can also call on streaming specific shows as well in a similar fashion.
You can then interact with the content via the touchscreen, voice, or gestures. Google has made sure the Quick Gestures for Nest Hub work with Netflix from the jump. With this, you can pause or play videos by raising your hand towards the display.
There are a few caveats we don’t know just yet. One is that this seems to be a rolling fix by one, or both, software giants and many are not seeing the update yet. Google is known for regional rollouts of server-side software like this and we can only assume this will take the same approach.
Another is Chromecast. It’s another assumption, but you’d have to believe that “now supports” Netflix includes the Casting feature, but the Google announcement doesn’t reference this directly. Once we have a working unit with Nest Hub and Netflix we will know more.
Last, we have no official word on third-party Google Smart Displays. The likes of Lenovo, JBL, and LG all have smart displays outside the Nest brand. One can only hope that this new Netflix fix rolls out to those as well in the future.
Despite these issues, the announcement alone is great news for Nest Hub owners. It gives Google another compelling feature that is not available on competing offerings from the Amazon Echo Show or Facebook Portal. Let us know in the comments if you have the new feature, or if you are patiently still waiting.