What Do I Need to Use Google Home
Jon Phillips / IDG
Voice-activated assistants like Google Domicile and Amazon'due south Alexa have been around for a few years at present, just they're still kind of gimmicky—they're non exactly J.A.R.V.I.Southward.-level A.I.south.
But Google Home might be more useful than you realize, specially if yous're but using it to verbally offset your Spotify playlists and occasionally settle a family argument when nobody has their telephone handy. There are plenty of ways to utilize Google Home for entertainment, information, or every bit a tool for being productive and learning new skills. If yous're going to lace your home with Google devices, you might likewise brand them piece of work for you.
Note: Android users can configure third-political party apps in the Google Home app, just iOS users will need to download the separate Google Assistant app. Most third-party apps no longer need to be 'linked' to piece of work, though, so this might not exist necessary depending on the app.
Link your smart speakers
Michael Brown / IDG Google lets you group its smart speakers, smart displays, and Chromecast clients together, so you lot tin play the same music all over your home.
You don't need to buy a high-end amp and loudspeaker system to fill up your home with music. Google Domicile has an apparently unlimited speaker-linking feature chosen speaker groups. All you need are two or more than compatible devices (Google Home, Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen), Google Home Mini (1st Gen), Google Habitation Max, Google Nest smart displays, Chromecast, Chromecast Ultra, Chromecast Sound, or TVs or speakers with built-in Chromecast) on the same Wi-Fi network.
To set up a speaker group, open the Google Domicile app and click on the + sign in the upper left corner. Under the heading Add to habitation, tap Create speaker group. Select the speakers you want to link together and tap Next, give your speaker group a proper name, and tap Save.
To play music on your new speaker group, say, "OK, Google, play [vocal/artist/playlist] on [speaker group]." Alternatively, yous can utilize the wake word "Hey Google," if that feels more natural.
Note: Linking certain devices (Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, Chromecast built-in speakers) in a speaker group might result in a synchronization error in which the music to i speaker is delayed. If yous experience this, open the Google Home app, tap the device y'all want to correct, open its settings menu, and scroll down to Grouping filibuster correction.
Broadcast messages
Google Dwelling's Broadcast feature lets y'all send an audio message to all of the Google Home devices on your network. And if you circulate directly from Google Assistant, you tin can send your bulletin to all the Google Home devices you're currently signed into (even if they're on different networks—or in completely dissimilar locations).
It'southward sort of like a household PA arrangement, merely slightly more useful because people on the other end can respond to broadcasts (but their response will go but to the device that orgininated the broadcast). To do this, say "OK, Google: reply [message].
Michael Brown / IDG Google Dwelling house's "broadcast" feature lets you send verbal messages to any or all of the Google Home smart speakers or smart displays in your house.
To broadcast a custom phonation message, say, "OK, Google, broadcast [message]." Your message will play on all continued Google Dwelling devices except the ane you're broadcasting from. You can as well use the commands "shout," "tell everyone," or "announce" instead of "broadcast."
Google also has a handful of preset broadcasts that will play a fun sound effect (such as a rooster exultation, or a dinner bong) alongside a preset bulletin. Preset broadcasts will play on all connected Google Home devices including the one you're broadcasting from. Presets include waking upwardly and going to bed ("OK, Google, wake upwards everyone," "OK, Google, time for bed"), announcing meals ("OK, Google, breakfast is ready," "OK, Google, it's lunch time," "OK, Google, dinner is served"), leaving/arriving dwelling ("OK, Google, time to leave," "OK, Google, I'm home"), and announcing entertainment ("OK, Google, the movie is nigh to start," "OK, Google, the show is almost to outset").
Set upward Routines
Google Home'southward Routines are designed to help streamline your life past triggering multiple deportment with a single command (or at a certain time).
To manage and set up Routines, open the Google Dwelling house app, tap the Routines icon, and tap Manage routines. Google Home has six preset routines chosen "good morning," "bedtime," "leaving home," "I'yard home," "commuting to work," and "commuting dwelling." The presets are pretty straightforward: Trigger the "bedtime" routine, and Google Home will do things like put your telephone on silent, ask what time to gear up an alarm for, and plow off your lights (if y'all have connected lights). The presets are simply suggestions—you tin fully customize them with dissimilar commands, actions, and media.
Michael Brown / IDG You'll demand to assign routines to ane of your Google Abode smart devices. This feature would be much more than useful if you lot could assign a routine to the device in the room you call up you'll exist in when you need information technology to run.
Yous can also ready upward your own custom routines to do just about annihilation. To set upwardly a new routine, tap the plus symbol in the Manage routines menu and add the control(s) to trigger the routine, the activeness(south) to be performed, and the media to be played. Information technology's also possible to set up routines that are triggered by a specific time/24-hour interval—e.g. every weekday at 7 a.m.—rather than a verbal control.
Relax
Google Home has its ain library of soothing ambient tracks at the ready when yous need some background sound to aid you slumber, meditate, or just relax in general. If yous're not picky near the blazon of audio you want to hear, say, "OK, Google, assistance me relax," or "OK, Google, play ambient noise" for a random option. You can also inquire for specific sounds past name: Relaxing sounds, nature sounds, h2o sounds, running water sounds, babbling beck sounds, oscillating fan sounds, fireplace sounds, forest sounds, land night sounds, ocean sounds, rain sounds, river sounds, thunderstorm sounds, and white noise.
Google Home also features a sleep timer, which you can set by duration (e.g. two hours) or by time (e.g. 1 a.chiliad.). To set a slumber timer using Google Home'southward ambient tracks, say, "OK, Google, play [sound] for [elapsing]," or "OK, Google, stop playing [sound] in [elapsing]." You tin can also say, "OK, Google, play [sound] until [fourth dimension]," or "OK, Google, stop playing [audio] at [time]."
Listen to a story
You probably shouldn't use Google Home to replace existent-life storytime, but it can work in a pinch if yous demand to entertain your kids (or yourself). Merely say, "OK, Google, tell me a story," and Google Home volition play a brusk, random children'south story from its library of stories (don't worry, all the stories are family friendly). The stories come from 3rd-party apps and are fully voiced and narrated, so you don't need to worry—y'all're not going to be subjected to the Google Assistant voice robotically stutter through a tale.
You tin can narrow the story downwards by blazon—for example, "OK, Google, tell me a princess story," or "OK, Google, tell me a story about dinosaurs," or "OK, Google, tell me a bedtime story." You can also ask for a specific story—for instance, "OK, Google, tell me the story of Snow White," or "OK, Google, tell me the Hansel and Gretel story." >
If y'all're looking for something a piddling less involved than a story, yous tin can likewise ask Google Abode to read a verse form or tell a joke.
Play games
Interactive audio games are 1 of the many ways Google Dwelling can proceed you lot and your friends entertained. Google Home integrates with hundreds of 3rd-party games—everything from trivia to hangman to cull-your-ain-run a risk games—many of which can be played on your ain or with a group. Google Home tin can even help you with your options, just say, "OK, Google, what games can you play?" or "OK, Google, what trivia games can you play?"
Michael Chocolate-brown / IDG Some of the games you can play on Google Home-compatible devices, such as Mad Libs, accept a visual element that makes them fifty-fifty more than fun to play on Google smart displays.
Here are some games we recommend trying:
"OK, Google, play Vocal Quiz" or "OK, Google, play SongPop" In these ii musical guessing games, yous effort to guess the vocal title and creative person from a curt clip.
"OK, Google, play [trivia game]" A handful of trivia game options: Are yous feeling lucky? Effort Star Wars Trivia Challenge, Marvel Movie Quiz, Fauna Trivia, Space Trivia, Tricky Mind Trivia, or TriviaCrack.
"OK, Google, play Mad Libs" Google will ask you for words and volition use them to fill in the blanks to create a mad lib.
"OK, Google, play Space Bungalow" This is an audio-based choose-your-ain-adventure game in infinite (well, in a space bungalow).
"OK, Google, play Truth or Dare" Let Google come up upwardly with truth-or-dare questions for you.
Be a master chef
Google Habitation tin be useful in any room of your house, but information technology'southward particularly useful in the kitchen. Here are some of the ways you tin can employ Google Home to aid yous cook:
"OK, Google, find a recipe for [dish]" Google will search websites such as AllRecipes.com to find a suitable recipe for whatever dish you desire. Yous can as well find a recipe on your smartphone or tablet and send information technology to Google Abode (just tap the "send to smart speaker" shortcut that appears next to your search result).
Michael Brown / IDG Search for recipes on your smartphone or tablet, and you tin can send any one you like to your Google Home smart speaker.
If you have a Google smart display, such as a Google Nest Hub Max or Lenovo Smart Brandish, and the recipe has a video attached, you tin can transport it to that device, instead.
Next, say, "OK, Google, showtime recipe," and Google Dwelling house will read the recipe to you step-past-stride (or play the video on your smart display). You can enquire Google to proceed to the next step ("OK, Google, next step"), echo a step ("OK, Google, echo step"), or read a different step ("OK, Google, what's step [number]").
Michael Brown / IDG When you find a recipe you lot desire to try, y'all tin can send it from your smartphone or tablet to a Google Smart Display, such every bit the Lenovo model shown hither.
"OK, Google, prepare timer for [fourth dimension]" Google can set timers, cheque timers ("OK, Google, check timer"), and set named timers ("OK, Google, set timer chosen [name] for [time]").
"OK, Google, how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?" Google Home can perform unit conversions, find calorie and nutrition data, and recommend substitutions (e.g. "OK, Google, what can I apply instead of butter?") while you're cooking.
"OK, Google, how do I cream sugar and butter?" Google Home tin assistance y'all with any cooking terms or directions you don't empathise.
"OK, Google, add [item] to my grocery listing" If you don't already have a grocery list that'southward distinct from your shopping list, Google Banana volition inquire if you want to create one. Reply in the affirmative, and Google Assistant volition create your list and add together the item you asked it to add. When you arrive at the shop, pull out your smartphone and say "OK, Google, show me my grocer list," and information technology will appear on your brandish.
Acquire a new linguistic communication
Google Home doesn't take a native feature that volition teach you a new linguistic communication, but it's a good supplement for language learning.
That's because Google Home taps into Google Translate, so you tin can apply it to interpret words, phrases, or as a real-fourth dimension translator. To discover the translation of a word or phrase, say, "OK, Google, what's [word/phrase] in [language]" or "OK, Google, translate [word/phrase] to [linguistic communication]". To use Google as a translator, say, "OK, Google, exist my translator," and Google volition ask which language you want to translate to.
If you're feeling ambitious, you lot can also modify Google Dwelling's language to meet if it understands you. To change the language, open the Google Home app and go to the settings bill of fare. Scroll downward to Google Assistant services and tap More settings. Under Assistant, tap Languages, and cull a new language.
Google Home too integrates with some third-party language learning apps that tin can assist you practice phrases and review words. These include Busuu (Castilian), Learn French, Acquire Japanese, Acquire Arabic, Learn German, and Speak Chinese.
Stay healthy
It'south not quite Peloton, but Google Domicile can make a decent at-home workout partner. You can use information technology to play music, discover conditioning playlists, set timers, utilise it every bit a stopwatch, and it also works with a handful of apps that can guide you through a quick high-intensity workout or a guided meditation session. Here are some apps we recommend:
"OK, Google, talk to Fitness Buddy" This app generates workout ideas based on what type of workout you're looking for (e.g., a leg workout).
"OK, Google, talk to 5 Minute Plank" Do y'all like planking? Do you like planking for v minutes? This app walks you through a v-infinitesimal plank workout that you can do anywhere.
"OK, Google, talk to Quick Conditioning" Quick Workout guides you through a quick, dwelling-based bodyweight workout.
"OK, Google, talk to Headspace" or "OK, Google, talk to Calm" Headspace and Calm are subscription-based guided meditation apps that each offer a handful of free session
Go further with IFTTT
Google Home can do quite a chip, and lots of functionality has been added since the service debuted. Merely information technology all the same has plenty of limitations, especially when it comes to smart tech that isn't compatible with the platform. Instead of revamping your unabridged smart home to work with Google, y'all might start want to try the original web-based automator: IFTTT.
Michael Dark-brown / IDG Google Assistant and IFTTT are a match fabricated in heaven. Lost your telephone in your house? Enquire your Google Dwelling house smart speaker or smart display to band it for you!
IFTTT, which stands for "If This, And then That," is a free automation service that connects diverse web services, apps, and devices using conditional statements. Basically, IFTTT takes an action originated on 1 service and uses it to trigger an action on another service. IFTTT is uniform with far more apps, devices, and services than Google Home is, and it's highly customizable, which ways you can apply IFTTT to force Google Home to trigger all sorts of tasks.
To get started with IFTTT, you lot'll need to sign upwards for an account (or sign in) and connect the Google Assistant service along with any other services you'd like to employ (social media, phones, other smart home devices, etc). One time you have all your services connected, y'all can create your own IFTTT applets or download applets that other users have built to perform tasks. Hither are some of the most useful IFTTT applets for Google Abode users:
Add a to-practice in iPhone's Reminders app with Google Home: "OK, Google, add a reminder to my iPhone [reminder]"
Send a text message with Google Home "OK, Google, message [proper noun]."
Add together a vocal to a designated Spotify playlist with Google Dwelling house "OK, Google, add together [vocal proper name] by [artist name]."
Tweet with Google Home "OK, Google, tweet [message]."
Add together an event to your iOS agenda with Google Abode "OK, Google, add to my iOS calendar [event title], [twenty-four hour period and time]."
Send us your favorite cool things to exercise
Did we miss any of your favorite things you lot do with your Google Dwelling house smart devices? Drop an e-mail to letters@techhive.com and so we can share it with your fellow readers!
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Sarah is a freelance writer and editor based in Los Angeles. She has a love/hate relationship with social media and a bad habit of describing technology as "sexy."
Source: https://www.techhive.com/article/578367/10-cool-things-you-can-do-with-google-home-devices.html
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