The new smart speakers Google are now available in Spain with the models Google Home (149 euros) and Google Home Mini (59 euros), two home assistants that aim to make our lives easier thanks to their multiple possibilities; so much so, that he resorts to the service Google Assistant so that we can consult countless things with just our voice, with only a couple of requirements: that it is always plugged into the electrical network and connected with our WiFi network. And after the best tricks with the assistant Amazon Alexa, now we want to offer you the best Google Home tricks with our step-by-step guide, with Google promising to increase the functionalities of both devices over time.
The best Google Home tricks and questions
Set two main languages
Google Home is able to recognize two simultaneous languages so that we can interact with the device in different languages and not have to change the main language every time we want to switch between them. To configure Google Assistant languages, follow these steps:
- Access the Home application and enter the side menu.
- Click on More options.
- Access Preferences and click on Assistant Languages.
- Add up to two languages to interact with Google Home.
Check the latest news
Do you want to know the latest news in any field? Just ask Google Home with “What's in the news” and Google Home will start narrate the latest news through the news media themselves that offer this type of voice services, such as The country either Laser, in Spain. Although at the moment there are not many media compatible with this functionality, over time more media will join this new way of consuming news.
Ask me to play music
Google Home is compatible with several on-demand and streaming music services, as Spotify, Youtube music or Google Play Music, among others. Thanks to this, we can configure our assistant to access these services and play our favorite songs with simple voice commands. Follow the next steps:
- Say in a clear voice “Play a U2 song” or the song or group/artist you want.
- Google Home will access the music service configured by us.
- You can request specific songs with the command “Play Beautiful Day by U2.”
- Additionally, you can also request song lists or playlists by asking “Play my Hard-Rock playlist” or the title you have given to your playlist.
We can also ask for other types of sounds, such as sounds to relax or to create a relaxed atmosphere; To do this you just have to ask “Play rain sound” or “Play fireplace sound”.
Ask me to put videos, series or movies
Google Home is fully compatible with devices based on Android TV either Chromecast so that we can play the video content we want through voice commands, which opens the door for us to request countless video content by voice. Follow the following examples:
- Ask “Play Michael Jackson Thriller on TV” and Google Home will open YouTube to play the video on your connected TV.
- This connectivity allows commands such as “Lower the volume”, “Stop television”, “Put on subtitles”, “Raise the television volume on a 50%” and many others.
- If we have linked our Netflix account we can also request content from series or movies with “Put X movie, series or documentary on Netflix”.
Find services, shops or restaurants close to home
Google Home offers us the possibility of find services, shops or restaurants close to home through geolocation and although at the moment the options are very limited, Google assures that they will improve the service over time; follow the following examples:
- If you want to search for a professional service or location, ask “Google, search for a supermarket.” You can change the store or service for any other.
- You can also ask for the phone number of a specific business or service.
- Finally, you can also ask about the nearest restaurants.
Use it as a dictionary or encyclopedia
Google Home allows us to consult concrete definitions of words either request cultural information as if it were an encyclopedia. To do this, we must ask “Ok Google, what does X mean”, changing X for the name or word of which we want to know the meaning. On the other hand, we can ask questions about topics that you would look for in an encyclopedia, such as the date on which the Industrial Revolution began and ended, to give just one example among countless topics.
Check the weather
Thanks to Google Home geolocation, we can ask about the weather and meteorology of our area or population; By default, it will inform us of the same day or the following three days, although we can always be more specific on a specific date; follow the next steps:
- If you ask for “The weather in X”, changing
- If you ask “What will the weather be like in X”, changing X for your town or another specific town, it will inform you of the weather forecast for the next three days.
- If you ask “What will the weather be like on day X in X”, changing the first X for a specific day of the week and the second
Request translations and conversions
Google Home is fully compatible with Google Translator, which offers us infinite possibilities when translating languages, a very interesting utility if we want to know the meaning of certain words or phrases from a specific language at the same moment or if we have guests at home from other countries with other languages and we need something of help; In addition, we can also make currency, distance or temperature conversions quickly and easily. Follow the following steps for this type of queries:
- If you ask “How old are you in English?”, Google Home will recognize the question by language and translate it instantly.
- If you ask “How many euros is 57 dollars?”, “How many degrees Celsius is 98 degrees Fahrenheit?” or “How many kilometers is 24 miles?”, Google Home will make the conversions instantly.
Ask me to call you by another name
If usually we use a pseudonym Instead of our real name or we want Google Home to identify us with another name, we can ask the assistant to use a certain name instead of our real one. Follow the next steps:
- Ask for “Call me Spider-Man,” changing the name of the Marvel character to whatever it is instead of your real name.
- Google Home will ask us if we really want to change our real name to the new one.
- We answer “Yes” and from that moment on he will call us by that name.
Connecting with Bluetooth speakers
Since the default Google Home speakers are nothing special (even worse in the Mini version), always interesting connect our device to an external speaker via Bluetooth. To do this, follow the following steps:
- Enter the Google Home app and go to the Devices section.
- Access the More icon (…) and choose the Settings option.
- Access the Default music speaker option.
- Now you can choose another external speaker device.
Ask for a random number or flip a coin
If at home you need to place a bet or have someone decide for you with total neutrality, you can ask Google Home to throw a coin in the air symbolically to decide a certain question or to say a random number. Follow the next steps:
- Ask “Toss a coin in the air” and it will tell you if it was heads or tails.
- Ask “Say a random number” and Google Home will tell you a random number.
- Ask “Say a number between 1 and 20” and Google Home will tell you a random number between both numbers.
Ask me to sing you something
Google Home is even capable of sing with his peculiar voice, despite the fact that on some occasions he will respond that he feels ashamed when demonstrating his vocal qualities. Thus, we can ask him to sing popular songs such as “Happy Birthday”, among many others; To do this, ask “Sing a song” or “Sing X song” and Google Home will start an a cappella song.
Extra entertainment features
Google Home also offers a multitude of extra functionalities such as the possibility of Play games specially designed for the device, ask for riddles, poems or jokes For Google Home to give free rein to its enormous database via the Internet, we can make surprise with a curious fact With the command “Surprise me”, tell it “I'm bored” so that it offers us information about all its possibilities and many other options to take advantage of the new Google assistant. We users set the guidelines; and we can always say loud and clear “Ok Google, stop”, so that Google Home stop talking and be silent at any time.