Following its AI-focused Google I/O keynote, Google has turned its attention to enhancing the smart home experience.The company has introduced two new APIs, the Devices and Structures API and the Automation API, designed to streamline the integration of smart home devices into various apps and services.
These APIs join the existing Commissioning API, which helps bring smart home devices online. The goal is to empower developers to create seamless interactions between their apps and users’ smart home ecosystems, with user consent. This could lead to innovative applications, such as automatically turning on porch lights as a food delivery driver approaches.
Anish Kattukaran, Head of Product at Google Home & Nest, emphasized that Google Home is now being viewed as a platform for developers to easily build upon. The new tools aim to simplify smart home development, making it more accessible to a wider range of developers.
The Devices and Structures API grants access to over 600 million connected devices, enabling developers to create features like automatic reordering of cleaning solutions when a home appliance runs low. The Automation API leverages generative AI to connect different smart home devices, facilitating intuitive experiences like automatically turning on porch lights when a door is locked.
Google’s vision is to “untether the home,” allowing mobile developers to easily integrate with smart home ecosystems.This opens the door to countless possibilities for integrating smart home functionality into apps that weren’t originally designed for that purpose.
The waitlist for these new APIs is now open, with a full launch expected later this year. Google has already shared several upcoming experiences, including Eve Systems bringing its automation to Android for the first time, Pixel phones enhancing bedtime mode with smart home integrations, ADT introducing “Trusted Neighbors” for secure temporary access, and Google Home Runtime software making various devices Matter-enabled hubs for faster local processing of smart home commands.
With these new tools, Google is fostering an ecosystem where developers can create innovative solutions that bridge the digital and physical worlds, solving everyday problems and enhancing the overall smart home experience.
