Echo
Amazon Echo Hub Gets a More Customizable Smart Home Dashboard
Amazon is rolling out an Echo Hub software update with a redesigned dashboard, room-based controls, resizable tiles, routine shortcuts, and Ring AI camera features.
Amazon’s Echo Hub is getting a more useful smart home screen.
A new software update for the Echo Hub adds a cleaner, more customizable dashboard for controlling connected devices. The update was reported on June 11, 2026, and focuses on the part of the Echo Hub that matters most: quick access to lights, cameras, routines, climate controls, and other smart home devices from one wall-mounted or tabletop screen.
That is a meaningful change because the Echo Hub is not just another Echo Show. It is sold as an 8-inch smart home control panel, with built-in support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Matter, Sidewalk, and Thread devices. Its job is to make a house full of smart devices easier to manage without opening several apps or remembering every voice command.
What the update adds
The redesigned Echo Hub dashboard gives owners more control over how the screen is arranged.
The main changes include:
- Organizing controls by room or function
- Creating new device groups directly from the hub
- Rearranging dashboard sections
- Resizing device tiles
- Opening more detailed controls for compatible devices
- Adding quicker access to common routines
For everyday use, the biggest improvement may be the ability to arrange the screen around how a home is actually used. A kitchen setup might prioritize lights, thermostat controls, a front-door camera, and a morning routine. A hallway setup might put security, door locks, and whole-home lighting at the top. A bedroom setup might focus on climate, lamps, and nighttime automation.
The previous Echo Hub interface already worked as a smart home controller, but a fixed or lightly customizable dashboard can become crowded quickly. The new layout should make the device more practical for homes with many connected products.
Ring camera features are part of the update
The update also brings more Ring integration into the Echo Hub experience.
According to The Verge, Echo Hub is getting access to Ring AI’s Video Search feature, which lets users search compatible camera footage using natural language. The same report says the hub can show Alexa Plus summaries of detected camera events.
That points to a broader direction for Amazon’s smart home devices. Instead of only showing a live camera feed or a motion alert, the hub is becoming a place where camera events can be searched, summarized, and acted on more quickly.
There are limits to keep in mind. Amazon’s Echo Hub product page notes that some camera features depend on compatible cameras and subscriptions. It also says Alexa Plus requires either a Prime membership or an Alexa Plus Standard subscription, a U.S.-based Amazon account, and compatible devices set to U.S. English.
In other words, the update may arrive for the Echo Hub, but every feature may not be available to every household in the same way.
Why this matters for Echo Hub owners
The Echo Hub launched as a dedicated smart home controller rather than a general entertainment display. That makes software quality especially important.
Smart home screens have a simple test: can someone walk up, understand the layout, and control the house without hunting? If a dashboard is too rigid, it becomes another screen to manage. If it is too cluttered, people go back to phone apps. This update addresses that problem by letting owners shape the dashboard around rooms, routines, and high-priority devices.
Resizable tiles are especially useful for smart home control. A frequently used light group, camera, or lock can take more space. Less important devices can stay smaller. That sounds minor, but it can make the difference between a panel that feels like a real control surface and one that feels like a long device list.
More detailed device settings should also help. The reported update includes access to granular controls, such as precise dimming and color adjustment for compatible lights. That reduces the need to switch to another app for common adjustments.
What to check after the update
Echo Hub owners should check three things once the update appears.
First, review the dashboard layout. If the hub is in a shared space, the most useful controls should be visible without scrolling. Rooms and groups are worth setting up carefully because the new interface is built around them.
Second, check routines. If the same automations are used every day, putting them on the home screen can make the hub much faster than voice control.
Third, review privacy and subscription settings for camera features. Ring video search, event summaries, camera snapshots, and alerts can depend on camera compatibility, account settings, and subscription status. Homes with shared devices should also make sure everyone understands which camera features are visible from the hub.
Echo Hub is becoming more central to Amazon’s smart home
The update makes the Echo Hub feel more like the control panel Amazon originally positioned it to be.
Echo speakers are useful for voice commands, and Echo Show devices are useful as general smart displays. Echo Hub sits in a different category: it is meant to be a persistent control surface for the home. A better dashboard, more flexible groups, faster routines, and deeper Ring camera features all support that role.
For Amazon device owners with many smart home products, this is the kind of software update that can matter more than a small hardware refresh. It changes how often the device is used and how well it fits into daily routines.