Perhaps the first step for many people when starting to connect their homes with the various technologies on the market is to buy a smart speaker. In recent years, multiple of them have gone on sale, each with different characteristics, but with one thing in common: the inclusion of a voice assistant.
With the growing interest in this technology, little by little companies have been added, among which Google stands out with its “Google Assistant”, and that for some time we have witnessed in the Google Nest range of smart speakers (formerly known as Google Home).
In this article we bring you some tips for those first timers who are going to face a Google Nest speaker for the first time, as well as the uses that we could give it to convince us of your purchase.
First notions to take into account
The synergies that we can find between this speaker and all our devices and other applications are extensive. To begin with, it is recommended always download the Google Home app, which puts all the devices in our home under our control. This application will also allow us to communicate with our speaker via text and change multiple parameters.
It must be borne in mind that, although we have a voice assistant, it is still a speaker, so its function also passes through play all kinds of audio from an external device through the wireless connection offered by Chromecast Audio. We can also play content from the speaker itself with a series of voice commands.
The “Ok Google” is essential. We assume that you have heard it countless times, and have even used it on your mobile phone. In this case it is still the same Google Assistant, so its use at the beginning of any command will be practically identical.
Every Google Nest has a physical button to make the speaker not always listening. This will guarantee our privacy when using it, and at least leaves some people alone.
Once all the previous sections have been taken into account, we leave you with a series of utilities with which you can get the most out of your Google Nest.
Ok Google … Good morning!
It could be limited to just answering us with a “good morning”, but the truth is that in addition to that, it will give us a summary of the day, offering us details about the weather forecast, pending tasks on our calendar, and even will dictate a series of news of general news.
The news that you communicate to us will be narrated through the television networks themselves, and even radio programs, something that is appreciated since sometimes it is tiring to always hear the voice of the assistant.
Brighten the day with some music
As we said above, Google Nest is a speaker, and therefore playing music is in its main basic functions. With what we say “put me some music” will play a playlist based on our musical tastes of the platform that we have by default. We can also request a specific song or group.
We can also play the music through an external bluetooth speaker and continue to use the Google Nest for commands, a good option in case we want to opt for a better audio quality.
Google Nest can recognize other people’s voices
Being a device that can be used by everyone in the house, we can set the speaker to make it recognize a person’s voice pattern and link it to a specific Google account. In this way, whoever uses the loudspeaker will enjoy a somewhat more personalized experience.
To do this, just go to the assistant settings of our speaker in the Google Home app and enter the tab. Voice Match. Once the steps are finished, we will have a voice linked to a specific Google account.
Alarms, events and reminders
One of the most basic functions, and that in the long run is very comfortable, is the configuration of alarms or events and reminders in our calendar. Just say “set me an alarm in 10 minutes“, or”set an alarm for me at 8“, etc.
For reminders and events, we will only have to activate our speaker as the examples of commands that we expose you:
- “Remind me to buy the bread at 1:00 p.m.“
- “Add an event “or” add an event“. After this the assistant will ask us the details and it will be registered
Let’s pair the speaker with a smart bulb
This is something that has danger, because when we get used to controlling the lights by voice or through our mobile device, there will be no going back, the addiction will be present. In addition, from Google they offer packs with a Google Nest and Philips smart bulbs to begin this exciting journey.
Pack Google Nest Mini Smart Speaker + Philips Hue White Bulb E27 9W Warm White + Remote
With simple commands such as “Turn on the light“, or”Turn off the light“, the light bulb connected to the mains will react immediately. Depending on the type of bulb (if it is Bluetooth or works through WiFi), it will have to be configured in one way or another.
We can also program the time we want to turn on or off a light bulb, something very useful especially if you like to have some dim light while you sleep.
Through the Google Home app, which, as we remember, is the mother application to have control of all the devices in our house in case we have chosen to use the ecosystem provided by Google, we can also change the lights and their intensity.
Time to learn languages
Of course we would not recommend that you buy a Google Nest speaker to exclusively learn languages, but for some other word or phrase it can come in quite handy.
To use the translator function, just ask the assistant how any word or phrase would be said in the desired language. For instance:
- “How do you say ‘good morning’ in English?“
- “Translate a sentence into German“
Trouble deciding? Google will do it for us
In case we want to leave some of our topics to chance, we can ask the Google Assistant to decide for us. In this case, we can tell him to flip a coin for those decisions that we want randomness to influence.
We also have the option that tell us a random number or in a specific range. For example:
- “Tell me a number from 1 to 100”
- “Give me a random number”
Totally unexpected answers
We know that voice assistants are a good companion when we are completely bored and we want to try to answer us with something fun. It is because of that from Google they have thought of a huge list of interesting commands for the assistant to answer us, like the ones we leave you in these examples:
- “Self destruction begins“
- “What is your favorite Pokémon?“
- “When is the world going to end?“
As we have mentioned, there are a huge number of Easter eggs with which to entertain ourselves in the Google Assistant. That is why we leave it to you to explore and have a fun time.
What else?
If you have reached this point and you have not been interested in any of these functions, it is very possible that buying a smart speaker is not in your priorities. And it is that although it is quite comfortable for certain occasions, it is not a product that is going to change anyone’s life. Except for lighting control, that haunts.