The Google Home app won’t let you “Call Home” anymore

They say you can’t go home anymore, and right now it looks like you can’t call home on your Google screens or speakers.

Google Home users on Reddit have noticed that the “Call Home” button in the Google Home app, which allows you to directly call your Google Nest Hub smart displays or Nest speakers from a smartphone, appears to be missing.

I also don’t see the Call Home button on the Google Home app, and 9to5Google sleuths confirm that after “digging around in the Home app, ‘Call Home’ completely disappeared.”

Now, are we just talking about a bug here or was the feature intentionally removed? We contacted Google to verify.

Introduced in 2019, Call Home may not have been Google Home’s most popular feature, but it was convenient for those who used it. Basically, Call Home lets you make video and audio calls to your Google speakers and displays directly from your phone, providing an easy way to check in on your property while you’re away.

Also missing from the bathwater is the Broadcast button, which allowed users to stream ads through your Google Home devices. As 9to5Google notes, you can still broadcast messages to Google speakers and displays by asking Gemini or Google Assistant.

The Google Home app just got a major overhaul in Gemini for Home, which saw a redesign of the bottom tabs and the addition of an “Ask Home” chat box powered by Gemini, which essentially lets you talk to your smart home.

While Gemini for Home replaces Google Assistant for smart home control, Google has promised that Gemini will still be able to tackle older Google Assistant tasks, including free ones that don’t require a paid subscription.

Still, many old Google Home features were unceremoniously ditched during Google Assistant’s long transition to Gemini for Home, and it seems likely that Call Home will be just the latest.

Last March, Google discontinued seven Google Assistant features aimed at the smart home, including Family Bell, which allowed users to create reminder bells for family events such as breakfast or dinner time.

Another 17 Google Assistant features were discontinued early last year, including music alarms, step-by-step recipes, and stopwatch management.

This news is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart speakers.