Google Nest Hubs to detail air quality metrics amid wildfire fears

Google Nest Hubs will start showing air quality metrics to users in “select markets”.

The technology giants have announced their at-home assistants will soon support a new Air Quality Index badge to help users keep better tabs on smoke and other pollutants, particularly during wildfire season over the summer.

Google’s new AQI badges will only be available on devices in “select markets”, but the company hopes the information will help people stay up to date with the latest information about their local air quality.

The new AQI badges on Google’s Nest Hubs will appear on the device’s Ambient tab and can be seen alongside the clock and weather widgets so users can get more information about their local environment at a glance.

In addition to the new AQI badge, Google is also adding a couple of other new features related to air quality, including a new voice command which will be activated when a user says: “Hey Google, what’s the air quality near me?”

Other new features include alerts for times when the local air quality drops to unhealthy levels or potentially poses a risk to sensitive groups.

The information for the new tools is based on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s US Air Quality Index, which represents pollution on a 0 to 500 scale.

Numbers between 0 and 50 are considered safe and healthy for everybody, while numbers above 200 are dangerous, and anything over 301 is extremely hazardous.

As of the time of writing there is not a firm timetable for when the new AQI badges will be available on devices in supported areas, but Google says the feature will begin rolling out in “the coming weeks”.

© BANG Media International