My Colts Santa is watching over my phone.
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I have a Google Nest camera, doorbell, and speaker at home. I access these devices regularly from my phone, and they’re easily accessible from the notification shade. However, when your phone is docked on the charger, you don’t necessarily need to lift it to get past the notification shade or to the app drawer to open the Home app.
Also: I upgraded my Pixel 9 Pro to Android 15. Here are five of my favorite features so far.
Thankfully, in Android 15, the new Home Control feature provides an easy solution. When enabled, your Android phone will display Google Home device controls as a screensaver when charging. A new feature allows you to view these devices with just one tap.
If you sleep with your phone charging next to your bed, and someone rings your doorbell or approaches your home in the middle of the night, you don’t have the brain capacity to go through the normal access steps. It could change the situation. Google Nest camera or Google Nest Doorbell interface.
Related article: How to use Android 15’s app freeze feature to free up space on your phone
But how do you enable this feature? It’s a little hidden, but it’s easy to turn on, so we’ll show you how.
How to enable home control on Android 15
What you need: This new feature requires a device running Android 15. This feature works well on mobile phones, but it’s even better on tablets. You’ll also need some Google devices (Google Nest Doorbell, camera, speakers, etc.). Some non-Google devices may also work, but your range may vary.
The first thing to do is pull down the notification shade twice and tap the gear icon in the bottom right corner to open the Settings app.
The settings you’re looking for are[ディスプレイとタッチ]Because it is within the page,[設定]within[ディスプレイとタッチ]Scroll down until you see the entry and tap it.
There is a “Display & Touch” entry on the main settings page.
Jack Warren/ZDNET
On this page, find and tap the Screen Saver option.
As you can see, home control is already enabled.
Jack Warren/ZDNET
At the top of the page that appears, make sure the “Use screen saver” on/off slider is enabled. Once that’s done, scroll to the bottom and tap on “Home Controls” and select the new feature as your screensaver. Then you can tap Preview to see how it will look.
Android 15 lets you choose from four different screen savers.
Jack Warren/ZDNET
Scroll to the bottom of the preview screen and tap Sort. Once you’ve done that, you can tap and drag items to change their display order. I like to put my Google Nest Doorbell on top so it’s easy to access.
If the camera is not available, tap the entry to go live.
Jack Warren/ZDNET
Once completed,[保存]Tap and you’re ready to experience home control on your device. Connect your phone or put it on the dock to see if it works.
Related article: Here are my top 5 favorite Android 15 features
congratulations. Now you can easily access all the devices connected to Google Home.
