Google smart speakers like the Nest Hub and Nest Mini will have a new option called “Guest Mode.” When enabled by saying “Hey Google, turn on guest mode,” the speaker will act a bit more like a public Google Assistant terminal and a bit less like your own personal assistant.
When Guest Mode is turned on, queries are no longer saved to your Google account and some personal data like your calendar won’t be shown. However, the speaker will still be able to do the basics like set timers, answer questions, and play music.
The feature is not quite as robust as Incognito mode on your Chrome browser. Although interactions aren’t saved, the speakers still need to be connected to your account so they can continue to access all the integrations you’ve set up with music, smart lights, and so on.
When you exit Guest Mode, your queries will again be saved to your Google account. But as the company announced this past August, it is no longer saving audio recordings by default unless you actively choose to allow it to do so.
Guest Mode is available on Assistant-enabled speakers and displays in English and will roll out support for more languages and devices over the next few months. We already see it on all of our Google Assistant smart speakers and displays, including the Lenovo smart display. To learn more about the new mode, just ask, “Hey Google, tell me about Guest Mode.”
