Start chatting with Google Assistant
Google's digital assistant has learned some new tricks and can now handle a real conversation! Here are some new commands you can start with.
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The Google Home is one of those devices that the more you use it, the more you discover it can do.
For example, did you know you can call an Uber using the Google Home? Or what about playing YouTube videos on your TV without touching a single remote or device? It's all possible, and then some.
10. Disable the microphone
On the backside of the Google Home, there's a button that stops the microphone from constantly listening for the wake phrase of "OK, Google." When pressed, you will hear "Microphone off" from the speaker and its indicator lights will turn orange (or maybe it's red?).
Press the button again enable the microphone and use the Google Home as you normally would. Some users like to have the option of disabling the microphone when not in use, or when having a sensitive conversation near a device that's always listening.
9. Rename Google Home
In the Home app on your iOS or Android device, navigate to the settings for your Google Home device. This is done by going to the Devices > Menu > Settings. Under the Device Info section, tap on Name.
Rename your Home device whatever you'd like, but keep in mind that as you add more devices to your house, you'll make to make the names easy to remember based on location. That way when you request Home to start playing music on multiple speakers, you know the name of the exact speaker you want to use and aren't left guessing.
8. Play on Chromecast from the Home
Follow the same steps to change the name of your Chromecast in order to make it easier to play content on your TV. For my testing, I renamed my Chromecast to "TV." Doing so makes it simple to tell the Google Home to play a video from YouTube on my TV. (Ex. "OK, Google, play Stampylongnose on my TV.")
Rename your Chromecast to something that's easy to say and remember, and interacting with it through the Google Home will be a breeze.
7. Guest Mode
The Google Home acts as a Chromecast audio device, allowing friends and family members to use it without accessing your Wi-Fi network.
Enable Guest Mode by going to Home app > Devices > Menu > Guest Mode. Enable Guest Mode and then wait for a PIN code, which you will need to give to guests in order to connect to your device.
6. When all else fails, reboot
The Google Home surely isn't immune to a hiccup here and there, and with the No. 1 fix for technological glitches being to restart the device, it only makes sense for Google to include it in the Home app.
Open the Home app >Devices > Menu > Reboot.
5. Set Assistant preferences
All of your interaction with the Google Home is done with Google Assistant, the company's updated personal assistant that's built into chat app Allo, Pixel phones and, now, Google Home.
You'll want to tailor what information Google Assistant knows and can use to better help you with your requests.
Open the Home app, slide out the menu drawer from the left side of the screen, and then tap on More settings.
I suggest starting with the sections News and My Day. In News you can select various audio news updates to listen to. Use My Day to set what details are included when you prompt the Home to tell you about your day. Options include the weather, commute time, next meeting, any pending reminders, and then play newscasts.
Learn more tips and tricks for Google Assistant.
4. Change the music source
The Google Home currently supports Google Play Music, YouTube Red, Pandora and Spotify. To set your preferred music source, open the Music section in More settings and select a music service. If you haven't linked it to the Home yet, you'll be prompted to at that time.
Bonus: When you first set up your device, you're given a complimentary six month subscription to YouTube Red (and by extension Google Play Music).
3. Call an Uber
Right now, only Uber is listed as an available third-party service in the Home app. As time goes on and more developers are able to work on adding support, the list will surely grow.
Find a list of supported services by opening More settings > Services. Tap on the service you want to connect to your Google Home device, then follow the prompts.
2. Restrict inappropriate content
With the Google Home making it easy for anyone to begin playing YouTube videos and music, it's likely your kids are going to have their own requests.
In order to avoid any inappropriate content, open More settings and then scroll to the bottom of the page and enable YouTube Restricted mode.
1. View command history
Google saves a copy of every voice command given to the Google Home in the Google account tied to the device. You can view all of your previous commands, and remove anything you don't want stored in your account with just a few taps.
Again, go to More settings and then scroll to the bottom of the page then tap on My Activity.
A webpage will open, displaying the time, date and request. Tap on the play button to hear what the Google Home recorded, and if you want to remove it from your history, tap on the menu button then Delete.