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7 important tips to clear up your doubts about Google Home

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© nextpit

I’m not sure if you’re already familiar with the Google Home and Google Home Mini universe. The two smart speakers are becoming increasingly popular, and are making their way into more living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms everyday (I’ve been moving the Mini around my home for months), but they are also raising doubts about their abilities. Here are some important peculiarities you should know about!

It works even without a smartphone

Google Home (and its Mini variant) runs independently of a smartphone. This means that once it’s configured, the speaker will respond to voice commands even if you turn off your device. This also means that you can buy it for a member of your family (like your grandmother) who might not have their own smartphone. In this case you have to configure it through an app dedicated to the device, and that’s it.

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Google Home also works without a smartphone! / © NextPit

If Google Assistant is active on a smartphone and home speaker, which device will respond?

If you’ve activated Assistant on both your smartphone and have Google Home in your home, both devices will respond to the ‘Okay, Google’ command. The speaker assistant takes precedence between the two: you’ll have to wait a few seconds before the assistant on your smartphone goes back to sleep.

It should be noted that your smartphone won’t wake up with the ‘Okay, Google’ command. If you have more than one Google smart speaker in the same room, the one closest to you will activate.

Different voices on different accounts

Google Home is smart enough to recognize up to 6 different voices. You can then also set up different Google accounts in the same by selecting the Voice Match option: the speaker will respond to the commands of all six users (and can also access different calendars and playlists on Spotify, for example) and will do this automatically, without you having to manually select the corresponding account.

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Google Assistant recognizes up to 6 different voices with Voice Match. / © Tink

No, you can’t customize the OK Google command

There are currently only two magic formulas to activate Google Assistant: ‘Okay, Google’ and ‘Hey, Google’. These two universal commands apply for everyone and still aren’t customizable, but hopefully they will be in the future.

They are also Bluetooth speakers

Don’t forget the Google Home and Google Home Mini are also Bluetooth speakers. This means that beyond their quintessential smart functions, they can also be used as simple speakers if you’re watching a movie or playing a video.

Finding your smartphone is a piece of cake

If you tend to lose your smartphone in your house when moving in between rooms, you can ask Google Home to find it for you. Just say “Hey Google, find my smartphone’, and your device will start ringing, no matter if it’s an Android phone or an iPhone. So you won’t have to keep running between the kitchen and living room before leaving the house!

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You can also control a Chromecast with your voice! / © NextPit

The perfect companion for Chromecast

Simply connect Chromecast to your home TV via an HDMI output and you can play movies, TV shows, YouTube videos or your TV via Google Home. You can also play your favorite songs on Google Home and Google Home Mini by connecting your smartphone and speaker to the same Wi-Fi network, inserting Chromecast, and selecting the song that you want to play from the app the app you’re using.

Do you have any other doubts about the capabilities of Google Home and Google Home Mini? On this page you’ll find a list of all the things Google’s smart home device can do, but don’t hesitate to ask us if you have any other doubts!

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Jessica Murgia

Jessica Murgia
Editor

Italian editor and Android lover: with her, all the most intimate secrets of Android will be revealed! Chronic traveler, a lover of good wine and good food, Jessica is crazy for shopping and passionate about technology! What's never missing in her bag? A book, an MP3 player, her Android smartphone and an external battery!

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  • 1
    steve drobinski Nov 22, 2020 Link to comment

    I used to love my google home. It is a total piece of crap now. It has two main responses. "There was a glitch, or Something went wrong, try again in a few seconds." If you have any respect for money do NOT buy any google home device. they are totally useless. I am switching to Alexa. I cant believe i wasted money on 5 of these devices. I forgot, the other thing it is good for is an expensive photo screen.


  • 16
    Deactivated Account Apr 22, 2018 Link to comment

    Google home sucks so bad. I gave it a one year trial and it failed consistently. If it once worked it would break the next week. It doesn't work seamlessly with anything, including Chromecast or any other Google products. Complete failure. The last straw for be was when I asked for the weather and it needed to go through AccuWeather, which was the most unintuitive experience yet. F+#@ Google.


    • Vicki 1
      Vicki Jan 11, 2019 Link to comment

      Have to agree with you. Got the Alexa dot and Google mini for xmas. Google sucks. Will be using it for an alarm clock. Alexa dot has everything else covered. Big disapointment in Google.


  • Danielle Wilson 4
    Danielle Wilson Apr 20, 2018 Link to comment

    Good Information


  • 46
    Deactivated Account Apr 20, 2018 Link to comment

    There is not any way in h#$$ that I will ever use one of these ease dropping data collecting devices in my house. Talking about lack of privacy with today's smartphones, this just take that to a whole new level.

    Mike

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