Google’s new Nest Mini and Nest Wifi have ultrasonic sensing so they can light up when you’re nearby. Now, Google is rolling out ultrasonic sensing to its Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max smart displays, letting them show you information depending on how close you are (via Android Police).
Google’s Nest Hubs can now sense when you’re standing nearby and show you the weather
It can also show you timers and your commute
It can also show you timers and your commute


Engadget got an early look at the feature in October. Apparently, when the smart displays detect that you’re nearby, they’ll pull up information like timers, your commute, or weather forecasts, and when you move a little farther away, the device’s UI will change to show bigger fonts that are easier to read from a distance.
This feature could be especially useful for the smaller Nest Hub because it doesn’t have a camera, so it can now use ultrasonic sensing to show proactive notifications, like the Nest Hub Max, according to Android Police. However, these notifications apparently still won’t show personal information since the ultrasonic sensing can’t tell who is looking at the device.
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