Tasker on Android is one of the most powerful customization tools around. Combined with a plugin called AutoVoice, you can use it to create a custom voice command for just about anything. That plugin is now available as a service on Google Home. You can use it to create your own commands to control your phone, or do anything else you can accomplish with Tasker. To use it, you’ll need to connect AutoVoice to your Google account in the Google Home app.Google may be playing catch up with the Amazon Echo, but Google Home already has a bunch of third-party services that can add features to your smart home speaker. Some are garbage, but we found the best ones that you should try out....
How Google Home Services Work
Most of Google Home’s third-party apps—which are called “services”—are a little different than apps on other devices. For starters, there’s nothing to install or enable. On the Amazon Echo, you have to activate the “skills” you want to use, but with Google Home, they’re all turned on by default. If your Home is set up, you can start talking to any of these services immediately with the proper hotword. While you don’t need to turn them on, you can find a list in the Google Home app.
Control Your House With Baked-In Smart Home Services
If you have smart home gadgets in your house, Google Home goes from being a handy gadget in your living room to feeling like magic. Google has made it a priority to work with a number of smart gadgets out of the box, so you can turn your lights on or change the temperature without talking to a third-party bot. Here are the devices that Google Home can control directly:
Chromecast: The Chromecast is a surprise hit so it’s no surprise Google Home supports it. You can use commands like “Ok Google, play YouTube on my Chromecast” and it will start playing videos on your TV. You can play, pause, or find more videos with voice commands from apps like YouTube, Netflix, or Play Movies.
Philips Hue: Google Home can turn your lights on and off individually, or group several lights together into “scenes.” You can adjust the brightness, or change the color (if your light bulbs support it).
AutoVoice Brings the Power of Tasker to Your Living Room
Tasker on Android is one of the most powerful customization tools around. Combined with a plugin called AutoVoice, you can use it to create a custom voice command for just about anything. That plugin is now available as a service on Google Home. You can use it to create your own commands to control your phone, or do anything else you can accomplish with Tasker. To use it, you’ll need to connect AutoVoice to your Google account in the Google Home app.
Use Wonder to Remember Important Information
Wonder is like an infinite, virtual post-it note that lives in your Google Home speaker. Ask it to remember something and you can call it up later. For example, you can tell Wonder, “remember that my Wi-Fi password is averygoodwifipassword.” Then, the next time you need to recall your password say, “ok, Google, ask wonder what my password is.” Google will then have Wonder repeat your password back to you.
Create Commands to Use On Your Phone or Google Home With IFTTT
Google Assistant has an IFTTT channel you can use to create some pretty powerful commands. You can use basic command phrases like “good night” to turn off all your lights, or use text and numerical variables to create more complex commands. For example, you can say “Tell Slack I’m running late” and the command understands that “I’m running late” is the text that it should send to a Slack channel you designate.