Google Home: February 17, 2026 Release Notes Detail New Features and Changes

This marks the third consecutive update improving automations within the platform.

Google Home received a new set of features and changes with its February 17, 2026, release notes. This update focuses heavily on enhancing user control and functionality, particularly within the automation capabilities.

Automation Improvements

• Pre-defined Voice Assistant Actions: The Google Home app's automation editor now includes pre-defined voice assistant actions under the Devices action type for smart speakers and displays. This addition streamlines the creation of common automation sequences. These actions include:

  • Announce current time
  • Announce today’s weather
  • Ask what time to set an alarm
  • Play chime
  • Play music
  • Play news
  • Play podcast
  • Play radio
  • Play sleep sounds
  • Tell a joke

  These pre-defined actions are not yet supported when using "Ask Home" or "Help me create," but custom commands can still be utilized via the "Ask Google" action. Google plans to expand support for these and other home automation capabilities in future updates.

• Routine Deletion: Users now have the ability to delete pre-made routines, such as "Good morning," "Bedtime," and "Workday." This provides more flexibility and space for users to create and manage their custom automations. Deletion is performed by tapping the trash icon in the top-right corner or accessing the overflow menu within the routine settings.

• Automation Feedback: A new, streamlined method for providing feedback on automations has been introduced. Users can tap and hold a specific automation from the automation tab to access a dedicated feedback menu. This menu allows users to select encountered issues from a predefined list and provide additional detailed information, facilitating more targeted improvements.

Foundational Fix

• Video Clip Downloads: A significant foundational fix has been implemented to enhance video clip download functionality. The update improves support for continuous video clip downloads of up to 5 minutes on home.google.com. This crucial fix ensures that long-form clips remain uninterrupted and can seamlessly span multiple overlapping short event clips, improving the reliability of security footage access.