Google makes Fuchsia OS available for Nest Hub Max

Google has started releasing Fuchsia for the Nest Hub Max. A small group of users who participate in the Preview Program can be the first to receive the software. In terms of functionality, it does not differ from the Android Things implementation.

The eventual spread of Fuchsia OS to all Nest Hub Max owners should go more smoothly than that to the Nest Hub last year, according to Google. That 2018 smart display was the Nest device that ported over to Fuchsia OS. The first devices got the software then in May and in August Google started making the software available to all users.

The Nest Hub Max has a larger screen than the Nest Hub and a camera. According to 9to5google, the presence of a camera increases the pressure on Google to update to run smoothly, because of the role the device can play in home security.

In any case, users should not notice the switch to Fuchsia OS as it is the underlying OS and no new features are added. Google released the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max with Android Things, a special stripped-down version of Android for internet-of-things devices.

Fuchsia is not developed around a Linux kernel, but the Zircon kernel developed by Google itself. Google wants to deploy the software as a general-purpose OS with a focus on security, updates and performance for multiple devices.