Google beats Amazon to the punch with Netflix support for smart displays
Smart speakers with integrated touchscreens, aka smart displays, were largely regarded as oddities when they first saw daylight a few years back. But with Google and Amazon firmly behind it, not to mention the likes of Lenovo, JBL, and even Facebook, the somewhat quirky concept rapidly gained traction, almost breaking into the mainstream tech scene.
It’s not difficult to understand, for instance, why someone would find Google’s Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max handy, but if you felt like something was missing from the skill set of these two relatively affordable bad boys, that something is now widely available.
Yes, the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max smart displays are finally compatible with Netflix, which means you no longer have to interrupt your “Down to Earth with Zac Efron” binge-watching session to whip up dinner. Instead, you can quickly link your Netflix account in the Google Home or Assistant app and start playing your favorite movies, TV shows, and documentaries in the kitchen with the use of your voice and nothing else.
All you need to do is ask your smart display’s built-in digital assistant to stream everything from “Queer Eye” to that new “Cursed” fantasy drama series or the hugely popular “Old Guard” superhero film. No hands needed, no touching required, although if you want to manually select something from the streaming platform’s extensive library, you can also ask Google to open the Netflix app and take things from there.
Obviously, the service supports a number of voice commands, allowing you to easily pause, skip, or stop streaming, while the jumbo-sized Nest Hub Max will even let you pause and resume videos with “Quick Gestures.”
As owners are probably well aware, Netflix joins an impressive list of subscription streaming services natively supported on Google’s in-house smart displays, previously including everything from Hulu to Disney+, HBO Max, and even the recently released Peacock platform.
Of course, you can also effortlessly watch YouTube videos on the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max, which is not what we can say about Amazon’s Echo Show lineup. The e-commerce giant is primarily relying on its own Prime Video streaming service to satisfy the entertainment needs of its customers, with Netflix and Disney+ not yet supported on any Echo Show model.