Starting June 23rd, Google's smart home cameras will be better at recognizing faces even when they're not clearly visible. The new update uses additional non-biometric signals like clothing and body size to identify people in the Familiar Faces library.

The system will also automatically update with recent images of everyone in your house, reducing inaccurate notifications from outdated examples. You might see more specific sound events too: Google Home can now recognize sounds like barking dogs or footsteps, even if they came from off-camera.

These improvements could address previous quirks, such as detailed logs of people who weren't there and events that didn’t happen. The update also includes new 'System Health alerts' for your Nest thermostat, helping to monitor HVAC issues.

The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy will be happy with these changes, as they should make the smart home system more accurate and useful. With these updates, Google Home is stepping up its game in recognizing you and what’s happening around it.