Google Nest Hub Apps Vanish: What Still Works in 2026?
If you've recently tapped the apps button on your Google Nest Hub and found a nearly empty screen, you're not imagining things. Over the past year, most dedicated "apps" on Google's smart displays have quietly disappeared—leaving only a handful of services like YouTube TV, Search, and Sling TV. This isn't a glitch. It's the culmination of a multi-year retreat from the app-centric interface Google introduced back in 2021, fundamentally changing how millions interact with their kitchen counters and nightstands.
Credit: Google
The Promise of Touch-Friendly Apps
Back in 2021, Google made a significant push to transform the Nest Hub from a voice-first assistant into a genuinely useful touchscreen device. The update introduced a grid of colorful app icons—Calendar, Weather, Netflix, Podcasts, Reminders, and more—that users could tap to jump directly into specific functions without voice commands. For families managing busy schedules or cooks timing multiple dishes, this felt like a meaningful upgrade. The interface borrowed familiar smartphone conventions, making the smart display feel less like a novelty and more like an integrated household tool.
The vision was clear: position the Nest Hub as a central command center for digital life. You could glance at your day's appointments, queue up a podcast while making coffee, or start a video call with a single tap. For a brief period, it worked beautifully—especially on the larger Nest Hub Max with its 10-inch display.
What's Gone—and What Survived
Today, that vibrant app grid has largely evaporated. Services that once lived behind dedicated icons now require voice commands or workarounds. Missing from the interface:
- Calendar views and event management
- Standalone Weather forecasts
- Netflix and YouTube Music direct access
- Timer and Stopwatch shortcuts
- Shopping list management
- News briefings via dedicated tile
- Broadcast messaging to other Google devices
What remains is sparse: YouTube TV, Sling TV, Search, and a generic "Stories" section for visual content. Notably, some disappearances align with Google sunsetting underlying services—Duo became Meet, Google Podcasts shut down in 2024—but many removals lack clear justification. Calendar and Weather functionality still exists within Google Assistant; they've simply lost their dedicated front-door access.
A Slow Fade, Not a Sudden Cut
This didn't happen overnight. Evidence suggests Google has been quietly pruning the app ecosystem since late 2024. Early reports noted the disappearance of Games, Zoom, and Pandora tiles. By mid-2025, Calendar and Weather followed. The final blow came recently when even the "Assistant" shortcut tile vanished for many users, leaving just four or five options visible.
Multiple device generations were affected simultaneously—first-gen Hubs, second-gen models, and Nest Hub Max units all show identical sparse menus. This coordinated removal across hardware suggests a deliberate platform decision rather than a fragmented rollout or bug. Google hasn't issued an official statement explaining the change, leaving users to connect the dots themselves.
Why Google Is Walking Back the App Vision
Several strategic shifts likely drove this retreat. First, usage data probably revealed most people preferred voice commands for quick tasks—"Hey Google, what's my schedule?" remains faster than navigating menus. Second, maintaining dedicated interfaces for dozens of services created fragmentation. When Google killed its Podcasts app or merged Duo into Meet, those tiles became technical liabilities requiring constant updates.
Most significantly, Google appears to be refocusing smart displays around ambient, glanceable information rather than interactive apps. The current Nest Hub excels at showing photo slideshows, displaying clocks with weather overlays, and surfacing Google Discover content—passive experiences requiring zero taps. This aligns with how most people actually use these devices: as background companions rather than primary computing surfaces.
How to Access Missing Features Today
Don't panic—most functionality still exists, just buried deeper. Here's how to reclaim what vanished:
For Calendar: Say "Hey Google, what's on my calendar today?" or "Show me tomorrow's schedule." The visual display will populate with your events even without the dedicated tile.
For Weather: Voice queries like "Will it rain this weekend?" trigger full-screen forecasts. You can also enable the weather widget within the Home app settings to appear on your default clock face.
For Timers: Voice remains fastest ("Set a timer for 10 minutes"), but you can also swipe down from the top of the Nest Hub screen to access quick controls including timers and alarms.
For Entertainment: While Netflix lost its tile, you can still say "Play Stranger Things on Netflix" and the app will launch. YouTube Music works similarly through voice despite lacking a direct icon.
For Shopping Lists: Open the Google Home app on your phone, navigate to your Nest Hub's settings, and ensure "Shopping list" is enabled under routines. Then say "Add milk to my shopping list" to update it hands-free.
The key shift: embrace voice as the primary interface again. Google designed Assistant to handle these tasks conversationally—and for most quick actions, it's genuinely more efficient than tapping.
What This Means for Nest Hub Owners
Longtime users might feel whiplash. Google marketed these devices with app grids in product photos and tutorials. Removing that layer of interaction without fanfare feels like moving the goalposts. Yet daily usability hasn't cratered for most households. The core value proposition—glanceable information, smart home control, and hands-free assistance—remains intact.
The real impact hits power users who built routines around quick taps: parents checking soccer schedules between Zoom calls, cooks managing multiple timers visually, or seniors who preferred tapping icons over remembering voice commands. For them, the change demands adaptation. But for the average user glancing at photos or asking weather questions while getting ready, the difference is barely noticeable.
Google's Smart Display Identity Crisis
This retreat reflects a broader uncertainty about what smart displays should be. Amazon pushes Fire tablets into this space with full app stores. Meta's Portal devices leaned hard into video calling before being discontinued. Google has oscillated between positioning the Nest Hub as a kitchen assistant, a digital photo frame, a bedside companion, and a smart home controller—sometimes all at once.
The app removal suggests Google finally chose a lane: ambient utility over active engagement. Future updates will likely deepen integration with Google Photos, Discover feeds, and sleep sensing (on second-gen models) rather than rebuilding app infrastructure. That's not necessarily a downgrade—it's a refinement based on how people actually live with these devices.
What's Next for Your Nest Hub
Your existing hardware isn't obsolete. Google continues issuing security updates and core Assistant improvements across all three generations. New features like enhanced sleep tracking on second-gen models and improved photo recognition prove active development continues—just in different directions.
Watch for deeper Google TV integration as the lines between smart displays and streaming devices blur. We may see unified interfaces where your Nest Hub seamlessly hands off video content to your living room TV. Ambient computing—not app stores—appears to be Google's true north for this product line.
Embracing the New Normal
The vanished app grid represents more than a missing menu—it's a philosophical shift in how Google views ambient technology. These devices work best when they fade into the background, surfacing information precisely when needed without demanding attention. That means fewer taps, fewer menus, and more intuitive voice interactions.
Your Nest Hub hasn't lost capability. It's simply asking you to interact differently. Try retraining your habits for one week: use voice for timers, ask for your schedule aloud, request weather updates conversationally. You might discover the original vision—hands-free assistance—was the most valuable all along.
The empty app screen isn't an error. It's an invitation to engage with your smart display the way its creators now believe it works best: not as a tablet substitute, but as a truly ambient presence in your home. And for most of us rushing through morning routines or winding down at night, that might actually be an upgrade.
