To increase privacy on smart screens and speakers, Google is introducing a gas mode. It starts today for Nest Hubs and other first-party Google devices.
If guest mode is enabled, Google Assistant interaction will not be stored in your account, and audio recordings of voice commands will be automatically deleted.
Ask questions, control smart devices, set timers and play music will continue to work. In addition, Broadcast and Family Bell continue to operate, along with the shortcuts for household contacts. If a photo frame is placed in the background, the images will continue to cycle.
Meanwhile, personal results, such as calendar events and contacts, are automatically disabled. That said, services like Google Maps, YouTube and smart home services will continue to save activity in guest mode.
“Hey Google, turn on guest mode” with a special chime and a blank profile icon that appears throughout the interface. You can confirm “Is guest mode on?” at any time while the function remains active until it is deactivated. Anyone, even those who are not at your home, can say “turn off guest mode”.
Google suggests that gas mode is useful when you have people with you. It connects to the ability to set hotword sensitivity and also serves as a kind of incognito mode:
Recently, I was looking for new recipes to surprise my family with a delicious New Year’s dinner, but did not want the suggestions to appear on our Smart Display and spoil my plans. By turning on gas mode, I can ask Google for recipes to know that research will not appear in my history, and without manually going through my settings or turning other controls on and off.
Guest mode on the Nest Hub and other first-party home devices starts in English today. It will be available in more languages and devices in the coming months.
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