Google Home is a device that allows you to control and communicate with devices, people, and organizations connected to your home. It can be used as a voice assistant, streaming service device, smart home hub, IoT gateway, and more.
Home assistants come in a variety of sizes, features, and prices. The most basic ones include Google’s own Home device, the Nest Cam enterprise system, and the Schlage Connected Door Lock & Security System.
Home assistants have become incredibly popular due to their convenience. They can do many of the same things as traditional assistants such asasking questions and finding results for answers.
They also save you from having to dig through crowded screens or use controls on different devices. By having it on your own device, you save yourself from having to learn new gestures or software features.
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Make sure your Google Home is updated
Google Home is a pretty new product, which means it is getting an update frequently. If you have Google Home, then you are already in the loop!
If not, then very soon you will be! With the release of iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.12.5, both platforms now have Home support. With only a few words, you can update the support for your device!
Both of these updates come with bug fixes and changes, so if something broke or became obsolete, they were fixed! Your Google Home will still work fine as long as this is updated.
Open the Play Store
Once your device is connected to your home via Wi-Fi, open the Play Store beholden toheitio. Once there, browse nearby devices and see if they are compatible with your device.
If they are, then your Google Home will integration with your system. If not, you can still set up pairing through the device itself.
Once paired, you can now control your Home via a speaker app on your phone or computer. There are many available these days, but I recommend ones that integrate with my Music Player app on my iPhone. This way, I can play music and control it using my phone as a speaker unit!
Once connected, you can also exchange commands. For instance, say “OK Google” and then enter a new command. By doing this repeatedly, you can allow your Google Home to recognize new commands.
Lastly, you can add new sources to your Home such as through its voice commands.
Navigate to the Apps section
Once your Google Home is connected to your Apple TV, you can navigate it to the apps section by pressing and holding the Home button for a few seconds and then releasing.
This will bring up a list of all of the apps connected to your Google Home, along with an invitation to add new apps. You can also update existing apps by adding them to the app list and then selecting Update.
Once that is done, you can add new devices as long as they have an app for the Google Home. You can send messages and receive replies through the app just like your phone or tablet does.
Locate the Google Home app
Now that you have the Google Home app, open it and locate the device you plan to use.
You will need to pair the device with your phone or computer using the supplied USB cable. Once paired, you can control the device by saying its name or creating a command.
Try adding some music next time you intend to control it to see if it works. If not, try adding a different language or changing what language the app is displayed in.
Update button appears if available
When a Google Home is connected to a speaker, it will display a QR code on the device. If the Google Home is able to receive an update, then you can tap on the update button and it will take you to a new area of the home where the Google Home can be used.
There are two ways to update your Google Home. The first is to go into the device settings and check for an update. If it does not download then there was not enough power for it to receive an update.
The second way is to send an email or use the app on your phone. Once this is done then another unit can use the same phone or computer to send an email or use the app on the new unit to download and install the new software.
Make sure your phone is up to date
If your phone is older than about Android 5.0, then you should update your Google Home. The latest version of the Google Home app is 7, and it’s up to date!
As of this app update, the Google Home will also work with iOS 10 and higher. Make sure to update it!
Update: If you are looking for a new home hub, Samsung’s Smart Things is a great choice. Apple’s iKit comes in both an Apple TV and iOS version, but neither appear to support Google Assistant yet. Neither does Microsoft’s Kinetik which does not seem to support Assistant at all either.
Make sure you have enough storage space on your device
If your Google Home has been collecting voice data, you should have enough space to keep up with new phrases and responses.
To ensure this, open the Google Home app on your phone or computer, go to settings and then display options. From there, choose how much storage your Google Home has and set a boundary for how much data it can hold.
This ensures it will only collect enough data to respond to you completely! If you want to add new devices or commands into your home, do this early so it can be set up quickly.
Try reinstalling the app and checking for an update again
If the above steps do not help, try turning on “hear any commands” in your Google Home menu to see if there is a command that you can respond to.