How does smart home automation work in Google Home?
Routines made with Google Assistant may now include your smart home devices.
Learn more about Google Home here >>
What is a smart routine?
In its most basic definition, a routine means a set of activities executed together, simultaneously, one by one. For example, making an omelette routine starts with cracking some eggs and ends with putting the final product on a plate.
This type of activity often involves devices: speakers, light switches, or just a smartphone. You may consider your smart home automation when including integrated smart home devices.
Learn about all kinds of smart home automation here >>
Hey Google routines
Google Assistant has offered automated routines even without smart home integrations.
For example, a “Good morning” routine could follow from Google Assistant telling you about the weather, reminding calendar appointments, and then starting the music. No devices are other than a smartphone or a smart speaker involved.
This flow of events is how routines in Google Home work. The chain of operations follows one device after the other, and everything starts with your trigger – voice command or click in the app.
Google Home routines
This “chain reaction” mechanism of Google Assistant routines may involve all devices integrated inside your Google Home app and typical activities involving calendar appointments, weather forecasts, etc.
See an example routine below.
“Hey Google, I’m leaving for work.” |
→ |
The music stops. |
→ |
The traffic report plays. |
→ |
The smart lock unlocks. |
→ |
The door locks after you leave. |
The automated routines feature available in selected languages. Google’s guide to Google Home routines is available here >>
Google Home triggers
Google Home routines must have a dedicated command but can also involve other triggers: preset start time, disabling an alarm or synchronization with sunset and sunrise.
Different routines, triggers, and devices allow full customization of your smart home automation. As it’s super easy to edit them in the Google Home app, you can experiment and tweak the routines day-by-day to achieve the routines perfectly adjusted to your lifestyle.
Home and Away routines
The last type of Google Home routine triggers residents’ presence (or absence) in a location. It may be useful for starting a robot vacuum when nobody’s there or turning the heating on when the first person arrives from work.
Home and Away routines are triggered by users’ location data, determined with their smartphones, or by using compatible Nest devices.
Tedee smart lock is not compatible with Google Home and Away routines.
Learn more about Home and Away routines on the Google website >>