Google has begun rolling out an update to its Home app, reducing power consumption of home-screen widgets and previewing early access to Model Context Protocol for AI agents on Android devices, enhancing smart home control and efficiency.
Google has started rolling out an update to its Home app that reduces the power use of home-screen widgets on Android phones and adds early access to a Model Context Protocol connection for third-party AI agents. The update began arriving on 16 September 2026, according to Frandroid and other reports.
Until now, Google Home widgets continued to refresh in the background even when a phone was idle. That behaviour has been changed so that background polling pauses when the screen is switched off, the handset is locked or a screensaver is active. The result should be lower battery drain on the phone, with less unnecessary querying of connected devices such as cameras. Google says the widgets update immediately once the device is unlocked.
The more significant addition is Home MCP, Google’s early-access implementation of the Model Context Protocol. According to Google’s developer materials and reporting by TechCrunch, the system allows compatible AI agents such as Claude and ChatGPT to interact with Google Home devices, inspect event history and build custom summaries or dashboards. Google says the setup is aimed at advanced users: it requires a Google Cloud project, the Home API, OAuth consent configuration and a compatible client.
Access is currently limited to English-speaking subscribers to Google Home Premium Advanced in the United States. That plan costs $20 a month or $200 a year, and Google has not yet given a timetable for wider availability. Reports say the company expects the rollout to expand gradually.
The update also includes a series of smaller fixes. According to Frandroid and 9to5Google, Gemini for Home should now ask fewer unnecessary follow-up questions and end conversations more naturally, while Live mode interruptions on supported devices have been reduced. Google has also addressed multi-account bugs, camera thumbnail glitches on Android, and an iOS issue that affected the Live button in recorded events.
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