Google's getting rid of the Google Wifi app

Google will end support for the Google Wifi app in July, the company tells CNET. The app had long served as the control center for the original Google Wifi mesh router -- now users will need to control their home network and router settings in the Google Home app, which already houses controls for the second-gen Nest Wifi mesh router, as well as Google Assistant and Chromecast devices.

"We want to make it easier to manage all of your devices in one place, so we've migrated Wi-Fi functionality into the Google Home app," a Google spokesperson said. "Nest Wifi has always been set up in the Google Home app, so we're now bringing this same functionality to existing Google Wifi users."

Here's how that transition will work. Starting May 25, Google Wifi users will only be able to add new devices or expand upon an existing setup by using the Google Home app. Then, in July, Google will end support for the Google Wifi app, remove it from all app markets and ask users to migrate their system controls over to Google Home.

To do that, you'll need to tap the plus icon in the top left corner of the Google Home app's home screen, select "Import Google Wifi Network," and follow the on-screen instructions. Users of Google's OnHub router will be able to migrate controls to the Google Home app as well, Google tells CNET.

The company points out that the Google Home app offers additional Wi-Fi features like network insights, improved teleconferencing and Google Assistant voice support for hands-free speed tests and network pauses. If you're using Google Assistant or Chromecast devices as well, having a single point of control for everything seems like a good way to reduce app bloat.

For a time, the Google Wifi app included access to a handful of advanced network settings that weren't in the Google Home app, including DNS and Universal Plug and Play settings. Google largely fixed that last year, when it updated the Google Home app to include the bulk of those extra settings rather than simply linking out to the Google Wifi app for the additional controls.

"Most of the features and functionality that users know and love from the Google Wifi app [are] currently available in the Google Home app," a Google spokesperson said, though some of those features will come via future app updates.

Specifically, Google says that the only Google Wifi feature that won't be available in the Google Home app come July is the ability  to track speeds to specific network devices. That feature is set to return in the Google Home app's upcoming 2.38 release.