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Control smart home devices with Google Assistant

You can control smart home devices including lights, switches, sockets and thermostats using your Google Assistant.  

Use your Google Assistant

Important: The languages you can use depends on the device. Learn which languages work on your device.

For example, you can say:

  • "Hey Google, set the heat to 20".
  • "Hey Google, turn on lights in the kitchen".

Get started

Learn how to set up and control your smart home devices. If you use the Google Assistant on a speaker, smart display or Smart Clock, refer to Control smart home devices.

Smart devices that you'll need

You’ll need smart devices that work with your Google Assistant. Explore devices you can use.

Step 1: Set up your devices

If you haven’t already, to set up your smart home devices, follow the instructions provided by the device manufacturer.

Step 2: Connect devices to your Google Assistant

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. At the top, tap Add Add.
  3. Tap Set up device.
  4. Under "Works with Google", tap Have something already set up?
  5. Tap the manufacturer, then follow the steps.
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 3: Set nicknames for devices

You can choose names to call your smart home devices, such as 'ceiling light' or 'Ben’s lamp'.

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. At the bottom, tap Home Home.
  3. Touch and hold the device you want to rename.
  4. At the top right, tap device settings Settings and then Device information and then Device name.
  5. Enter the new name.
  6. Tap Save.

Step 4: Assign devices to a room

To control your devices more easily, assign them to a room. For example, if you assign lights to your bedroom, you can say "Turn on lights in the bedroom".

Add a device to a room
  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home .
  2. At the bottom, tap Home Home.
  3. Touch and hold your device.
  4. At the top right, tap Device settings Settings and then Device information and then Placement.
  5. Tap a room and then Save.
Check for new devices

You can check for new devices that haven’t been assigned to a room. If you’re using SmartThings, skip to the steps below.

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial and then Assistant settings.
  3. Under 'All settings', tap Home control and then the service.
    • You may need to reconnect your account with the service.
  4. You'll find new devices that aren't assigned to a room.
  5. For these devices, follow the steps to:
Rename a room
  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. On the "Home" tab, tap the room name and then Room settings Settings.
  3. Under "General", tap Name.
  4. Enter a new room name.
  5. Tap Save.
Delete a room
  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. On the "Home" tab, tap the room name and then Room settings Settings.
  3. Tap Delete room and then Remove.

Step 5: Control devices with commands

Control lights
  • “Turn on/off [light name].”
  • “Turn on/off all of the lights.”
  • “Turn on/off lights in [room name].”
  • “Dim the [light name].”
  • “Brighten the [light name].”
  • “Set [light name] to 50%.”
  • “Turn [light name] green.”
Control thermostats

Turn on thermostat

Important: You must say a mode.

  • “Turn on heating/cooling mode.”
  • “Turn on heat-cool mode.”

Turn off thermostat

  • “Turn off the thermostat.”

Set the temperature

  • “Set the heat to 68.”
  • “Set heat-cool to 72.”
  • “Set the air conditioning to 70.”
  • “Set the [room name] thermostat to 70.”

Adjust the temperature

Important: You can say "temp" or "temperature".

  • “Make it warmer/cooler.”
  • “Raise/lower the temp.”
  • “Raise/lower the temp 2 degrees.”

Switch heating or cooling modes

  • “Turn on heating/cooling.”
  • “Set the thermostat to cooling/heating.”
  • “Turn the thermostat to heat-cool mode.”

Find out the temperature

  • “What’s the thermostat set to?”
  • “What’s the temperature outside?”
Control switches or outlets
  • “Turn on/off the [outlet name].”
  • “Turn on/off the [switch name].”
Stream security cameras

You can stream your camera on any Chromecast-enabled device, like a TV with a Chromecast, Smart Display or Smart Clock.

  • “Show [camera name].”
  • “What’s on [camera name]?”
  • “Play [camera name] on [device name].”
  • “Show [camera name] on [device name].”
  • “Stop [camera name].”

Disconnect devices from your Google Assistant

If you no longer want to control your smart home devices with your Assistant, you can disconnect your account.

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. At the top right, tap your Profile picture or Initial and then Assistant settings.
  3. Under "All settings", tap Home control.
  4. Under 'Linked services', tap the account you want to disconnect and then Unlink account and then Unlink.

Fix problems

Google Assistant can't control device

To fix the issue, you can try to rename your device. Read the tips below. Then follow the steps to set a new nickname.

To rename your device:

  • Don’t include numbers, special characters or room names.
  • If you name lights connected to plugs or switches, add "plug" or "switch" to the nickname.
  • Avoid similar names like "Table light left" and "Table light right."
Can't pair Philips Hue bridge with Google Assistant
  1. Check if your Philips Hue bridge:
    • Has power
    • Has all of its top lights on
    • Is plugged in to your Wi-Fi router
  2. Make sure that your Philips Hue bridge is paired with the Philips Hue cloud. To check:
  3. Connect your phone and Philips Hue bridge to the same Wi-Fi network and router.
If those steps don’t work, restart your phone and the Philips Hue bridge. If you have questions about your Philips Hue bridge or need more help, contact Philips.

Control your Smart Clock

For most actions, you can control the screen with your hands or your voice.

The Google Assistant is available on Smart Clocks in Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish.

Smart Clock and smart display differences

Your smart clock is designed for the bedroom, so it has different capabilities than smart displays. As a result, the following features aren’t available on smart clocks.

  • No video playback, but you can cast videos to Chromecast-enabled TVs.
  • No camera.

Set and edit an alarm

To set an alarm, swipe down from the top of the screen or ask the Google Assistant to set an alarm.

To view your set alarms, swipe left on the home screen or ask the Google Assistant what alarms are set.

To change an alarm, like its time, alarm sound or if it triggers a routine:

  1. On your Smart Clock home screen, swipe left.
  2. Pick an alarm.
  3. Scroll for different options.
  4. To change an option, tap it.

Use your clock

  • Find quick actions: From the top of the screen, swipe down.
  • Go back to the previous screen: From the left edge of the screen, swipe right or say "Hey Google, go back".
  • Go to the home screen: Swipe right or say "Hey Google, go Home".
  • Change the volume: Use the buttons on the device or change the volume with your voice.
  • Silence notifications: Swipe up, then tap Do Not Disturb DND off.
    • Alarms and timers still work when “Do Not Disturb” is on.
  • Turn your microphone on or off: On the back of your Smart Clock, use the switch.
  • Night Light: From the top of the screen, swipe down and tap on.

Change your clock's setting

Change your default alarm settings
You can change settings like how loud your alarms are, what your alarms sound like and how long an alarm will snooze.
  1. On your Smart Clock home screen, swipe left to the alarm list page.
  2. Tap Settings Settings.
  3. Scroll for different alarm settings.
  4. To change an alarm setting, tap it.
Change your screen settings
  • Adjust brightness: Swipe up, then tap Brightness Autobrightness 5.0.
  • Set minimum brightness: Swipe up, then tap Settings Settings and then Display settings and then Minimum brightness.
  • Set your low-light clock face: Swipe up, then tap Settings Settings and then Display settings and then During low light.
Change your clock face settings
You can change what your clock face looks like.
  1. On your Smart Clock home screen, tap and hold the clock face.
  2. Swipe left or right for different clock faces.
  3. To choose a clock face, tap it.
  4. Optional: To change the clock face colour, mode or temperature, tap Edit Edit.

Learn how to set up a live album on your Smart Clock.

Change your Night Light settings
You can adjust your Night light colour, brightness and duration.
  • Colour: Tap Settings Settings and then Night Light settings and then Colour.
  • Brightness: Tap Settings Settings and then Night Light settings. Under “Brightness”, move the slider.
  • Night Light duration: Tap Settings Settings and then Night Light settings and then Duration.

Group your Google Assistant devices

You can create groups of speakers, smart displays and Smart Clocks so all of your devices play the same audio throughout your house.

This feature doesn't work on Bose or Sonos speakers that have the Google Assistant.

What you need

You can group speakers, smart displays and Smart Clocks in any combination. To combine smart devices, you need two or more of the following devices:

  • Google Home
  • Google Nest Speakers
  • Chromecast (2nd generation and above)
  • Smart Displays with Google Assistant
  • Chromecast Audio
  • Speakers with Chromecast built-in
  • Smart Clock

Step 1: Create a group

  1. Open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. Tap Add Add and then Create speaker group.
  3. Tap each device you want to include in the group.
  4. Enter a name for the group.
  5. Tap Save.

To change the devices in an existing group:

  1. Open the speaker group.
  2. Tap Settings Settings and then Choose devices.

To delete a group:

  1. Open the speaker group.
  2. tap Settings Settings and then Delete group and then Delete.

Step 2: Change where audio is played

After you start playing audio on one device, you can ask the Google Assistant to move the audio to other devices.

Play audio on multiple devices

To play audio on more devices, say “Hey Google”, then say which devices you want to add.

You can say commands like:

  • “Add living room display to the music.”

  • “Play the music on the kitchen speaker too.”

On smart displays, to add more devices, you can tap the group name on the full-screen media view.

Use a preset speaker group
  1. On your phone or tablet, open the Google Home app Google Home.
  2. Touch and hold your device.
  3. At the top right, tap device settings Settings and then Audio and then Groups.
  4. Choose an existing group or create a group.
  5. Tap Save.
To play audio from a preset group automatically, open the Google Home app and set the group as your default media player.
Move audio to a different device

To play audio on a device, say “Hey Google”. Then say which device should play the media.

You can say commands like:

  • “Move the music to the playroom display.”
  • “Play the music on the bedroom speaker.”
  • “Cast to the living room TV.”

On Smart Displays, to change which devices play the audio, you can tap the group name on the full-screen media view.

Step 3: Play audio

To play audio on the speaker group, say "Hey Google", and include the group name in your request.

You can say commands like:

  • "Play rock music on [group name]."
  • "Listen to the news on [group name]."
  • "Play [podcast name] on [group name]."

You can automatically play audio from the device group when you open the Google Home app and make the group your default media player.

Step 4: Control audio

Control playback

  • Use your voice: With your single device, use the same commands.
  • Use the Google Home app: Tap the speaker group you want to control, then use the audio controls.
  • Use a device: Use the buttons on your device's screen.

Control volume

  • Use your voice: With your single device, use the same commands. Volume commands will only work on the nearest device unless you include the group name in your command.
  • Use the Google Home app: Tap the speaker group that you want to control. Above the volume wheel, tap Speakers and adjust the volume for each device.
  • Use a smart display: From the full-screen media view, at the bottom left, tap your speaker group. Use the slider to adjust the volume of an individual speaker or all of the speakers.

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