Google Nest Hub finally picks up a home screen feature it has sorely needed

What you need to know

• The Google Nest Hub has gained a minor yet handy update that improves its home screen.
• Google's smart display now shows the current date alongside the time and weather info on the home screen when in standby mode.
• The latest change is available on the first and second-generation Nest Hubs.

While the Google Nest Hub's home screen has been a useful hub to keep track of time, weather, and reminders in a single view, it has oddly lacked one key element: the date. Thankfully, a new update to Google's smart display has arrived to finally fill that void.

The current date now shows up above the clock and weather information in the bottom left-hand corner of the Nest Hub’s home screen. It comes in handy if you want to know what day it is by just glancing at the smart display.

Previously, you could only see the local time and weather conditions. To access your calendar, you had to access the Nest Hub's app drawer by swiping up from the bottom. The most recent change eliminates that hassle.

Reddit user u/BrandonYeo first spotted the update on their first-generation Nest Hub. That said, the new date info appears to be available on all Nest Hub devices. Android Central can confirm that it is live on the 2nd-Gen Nest Hub (see image above).

Strangely, one commenter on Reddit shared that the feature appeared on their Nest Hub Max multiple times over the past few weeks before vanishing out of the blue.

It's not clear what took Google so long to include the current date on the home screen of its best smart displays. Nest Hub owners, including this writer, have sorely wanted this feature for quite some time, and its arrival should please everyone.

If you want to get the new update, make sure your Nest Hub runs the latest software version (v46.32.13.418036576) and Chromecast firmware version (v1.56.290464).

It's the latest useful addition to the Nest Hub, coming just a few days after the smart display gained Fitbit and Google Fit integration via Google Assistant.