Got a Google Home ($99 at Walmart) this holiday season? You’re well on your way to making your home smart.
Google’s smart speaker can tell you the weather, control your other smart home devices and so much more with a simple voice command. If you’re a proud owner of one, here the are tips you need to know.
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Where should you put your Google Home?
Google Home speakers are small enough to fit in most places around the house, but they can serve specific purposes in different rooms.
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If you spend a lot of time getting ready each morning, there are nine reasons to put your Google Home in the bathroom. Maybe you like to cook, or your family generally congregates in the kitchen. In that case, your Google Home should live there, where it can set timers, answer cooking questions and control smart appliances.
Need more help deciding? This guide helps you figure out where your smart speaker should live.
Google Home speakers are good looking just as they are, but if you want them to blend into your decor, there are ways to customize their look.
Master the basics
Your new Google Home has plenty of interesting features and can perform a lot of actions. But before you dive into all of them, start with the basic settings.
How to talk to Google Assistant
For the most part, you’ll be interacting with your Google Home through spoken commands. You can ask your new speaker anything you’d type into Google, plus a whole lot more.
The full list of Google Home voice commands is long and growing, but there are several you’ll actually use regularly:
With big speakers, the Google Home Max can fill your home with music.
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Rock out to music
Playing music will likely become one of your favorite things to do with your Google Home. Here are few tips to get you started:
Control your smart home devices
Google Home speakers can serve as a central hub for all of your smart devices. For the most part, it can control any smart home product you already have.
To get started, we have seven ways to build your smart home around the Google Home. Then, learn how to control your lights and thermostat with Google Home.
How to fix common problems
Once you’ve set up your Google Home, you shouldn’t need to mess with the settings or troubleshoot. But no software or hardware is perfect, so you should know about the four most common Google Home issues and how to fix them.