Google periodically updates its smart displays and smart speakers with new software, and the company has now started to roll out a new design for the Nest Hub's software. However, there's a catch: the update is sending some Nest Hub displays into a bootloop.

The new software update appears to be limited to the Google Nest Hub Max and second-generation Google Nest Hub, not the original that was called the Google Home Hub at release. The design doesn't look too different at a glance, but an app drawer is now visible on the bottom panel (accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the screen). The below video from Reddit user TheBlazed_13 shows off the updated interface.

However, there's a problem with the update: it's causing some Nest Hub devices to bootloop. That's right, the Nest Hub is reliving the glory days of LG smartphones. In some cases, unplugging the smart display from power and plugging it back in after a few minutes solved the problem, but others had to factory reset their Nest Hub devices.

The Android-like app drawer in the new Nest Hub update is an interesting change, given that Google is adding many features to Android 13 that could be used in smart displays. Android 13 has new software features for user profiles and information overlays in screen savers, as well as a new "low light clock" that looks more or less identical to the clock on Nest Hub devices. The new app drawer could be intended as a transition towards a future Android-powered Nest Hub.

It's not great when a piece of technology breaks after a software update, but at the very least, Nest Hubs don't have any locally-stored data that you need to worry about losing.

Via: 9to5Google