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The sleep timer doesn’t just have to be for nighttime, and can be set for any duration you want.. You can request songs by artist, album, even by lyrics you may recall off the top of your head. Google Home's built-in timer function is sufficient for most people's needs. However, if you like to work, study or work out using something similar to the Pomodoro Technique, try theRepeating Timers app. Home voice assistants have only been out for a few years, but they have become the cornerstones of many households. If you’ve settled on Google Home as your favored assistant, then you want to know how to get the most out of it.
When it comes to deciding between Google smart speakers, you may be wondering, "What does a Google Nest Mini do?" Here are 14 things you probably didn't think this small smart speaker could do. Headspace is one of the many meditation apps available for the Google Home. Akinator calls itself a genie, but it’s actually a really smart modern version of the old game 20 questions. To get going, say, “Hey Google, start Akinator.” Akinator will guide you through how to play it. You think of a character, real or fictional, and then answer a series of yes-or-no questions until Akinator guesses who you’re thinking of. Take a deep breath and say, “OK Google, help me relax.” Your Home device will kick into chill-out mode with some soothing ambient noise.
Ask Google Home to remind you to exercise
Michael Brown / IDGWhen you find a recipe you want to try, you can send it from your smartphone or tablet to a Google Smart Display, such as the Lenovo model shown here. After choosing what to cook, the smart assistant will walk you through the step-by-step process of preparing the dish. No more hopping on YouTube or reading the steps off of your phone.
Your message will then be broadcasted to all the Google speakers on your network. If you are not a morning person, you probably don't enjoy hearing your device's default alarm first thing in the morning. Your Nest Mini can genuinely make your mornings better by using your favorite song as your alarm.
Find your lost phone
To control any light settings, users would need to connect their lighting devices to Google Home via the app. Users can access the Downtime function in the Google Home app to "take a break" from the smart speakers. "You can control over 50,000 smart home devices including TVs, remote controls, lights, appliances, plugs, thermostats and more," using your speaker, according to Google.
Just say, "OK, Google, ask Dress Right what I should wear in New York City." It will start with the weather forecast, followed by clothing recommendations based on the weather. If you want, you can ask for additional outfit suggestions based on gender. Other times, it'd be nice to have an assistant tell you what attire would be appropriate for the weather. The Time Machine Assistant app, sort of like This Day In History from The History Channel, will read you some of the top headlines from the same day in past years. Taylor Martin has covered technology online for over six years. He has reviewed smartphones for Pocketnow and Android Authority and loves building stuff on his YouTube channel, MOD.
Find your phone
IFTTT is compatible with far more apps, devices, and services than Google Home is, and it’s highly customizable, which means you can use IFTTT to force Google Home to trigger all sorts of tasks. “OK, Google, find a recipe for ” Google will search websites such as AllRecipes.com to find a suitable recipe for whatever dish you want. You can also find a recipe on your smartphone or tablet and send it to Google Home (just tap the “send to smart speaker” shortcut that appears next to your search result). You can also set up your own custom routines to do just about anything. To set up a new routine, tap the plus symbol in the Manage routines menu and add the command to trigger the routine, the action to be performed, and the media to be played. It’s also possible to set up routines that are triggered by a specific time/day—e.g.
If you like falling asleep to music or white noise, but you don’t want it to be playing all night, just say, “Hey Google, set a sleep timer for one hour,” once the sound is playing. Just start with “Hey Google” to get answers from your Google Assistant, tackle your day, enjoy music or TV shows, and control your compatible smart home devices. And with Voice Match, the Assistant can tell your voice from others—up to six people can get personal assistance on each device. Looking to buy one of the Google Home or Nest Audio smart speakers, or a Chromecast?
Podcasts, audiobooks and bedtime stories
While the heavy lifting is all done in the cloud, there is no noticeable lag between asking Google Home Mini to do something and receiving a response. The experience is a lot like talking to a person since you use natural language to interact with the device and receive responses in natural language as well. Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles . General and media alarms — Never run late or miss a flight or meeting. Timer — Set and manage a timer for cooking, game time, laundry, and even sleep.
At this point, Google Assistant can control more than 1,500 smart-home products from more than 100 brands like LG, Whirlpool, GE, and Nest. You can ask your Google Home to dim the lights, change the temperature, turn on a kettle or microwave, or even start your Roomba. Saying, "OK Google, broadcast I'm on my way home" will trigger the devices inside your house. I prefer rain sounds to standard white noise, so I usually say "Hey Google, play the sound of rain." The device obliges with a steady downpour.
One of the coolest things you can do with smart speakers and smart displays is controlling your smart home devices. This includes smart light bulbs, switches, cameras, locks, and every other smart home device you can think of. Michael Brown / IDGGoogle Home’s “broadcast” feature lets you send verbal messages to any or all of the Google Home smart speakers or smart displays in your house. The Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max are all-in-one smart displays, combining a smart speaker with a touchscreen display. They use the Google Assistant voice assistant to operate via voice commands and can do everything a Google Nest smart speaker does—and a lot more. Google also has a handful of preset broadcasts that will play a fun sound effect alongside a preset message.
If you've never used a smart speaker, but you want to try it out without paying for an expensive Google Home or Google Home Max, then the Home Mini is a great affordable option. The Google Home Mini is also an excellent addition to any home that already has one or more Google Home devices. Like all Google Home devices, the Home Mini is built around the Google Assistant virtual assistant, so it is operated almost entirely via voice commands.
Keep track of your daily calendar, any meetings or appointments you may have coming up, and any reminders you may have set for yourself. For instance, you can ask your Nest Mini smart speaker to remind you to pick up milk or to remember where you hid the password for your computer. As a smart speaker, your Google Nest Mini can connect to your Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube music, or TuneIn playlists to keep your space jamming all day long. Google offers its Home smart speakers in three different sizes in prices ranging from $49 to $399, so there’s a gadget for any budget. If you know what to say, you can use your Google Home as a source of entertainment, a stress reliever, and for your daily dose of news, among many other things.
If you just want to relax after a long day at work, you can ask Google Home to play you the sounds of nature. You can even tell Google to “play the sound of rain”, and it will pull up an hour-long recording. Google Home and Google Nest Audio devices have a host of other voice-activated games and entertainment.
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Both, Google Home and Google Home Mini, let you interact with certain professional services. These services include Netflix, YouTube, Uber, Domino’s Pizza, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR One. To use these services, all you have to do is say that you want to use the service (service’s name) and that’s it, you will be directed to the service instantly. The Home Mini also includes the same basic sort of microphone array as the larger Google Home, which is designed to pick out your voice from up close, across the room, or anywhere else within range. View Google Photos — Enjoy a slideshow of your personal photos from your Google Photos library on any voice-supported TV with Chromecast or Chromecast built-in. Watch news — Watch the news on any voice-supported TV with Chromecast or Chromecast built-in.
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