Set Up Your Preferences
To fully personalize your Google Home device, tap the Menu button on the left-hand side of the app, then tap Account Preferences. This will take you to a bunch of optional features that Google Assistant offers, so you can make the device uniquely yours based on what suits your lifestyle. If you go under Settings > More settings > Assistant, you can change your assistants language or add an additional language.
By tapping on News and then Customize, you can select which news sources youd like the Google Home to pull from when reading you the news. Whether youre an NPR junkie, NBC News follower, or Fox News fan, youll be able to change the sources at your convenience. If you say OK, Google, listen to the news, your Google Home device will then give you a news report thats customized to your preferences.
Set Up Shopping On Your Speaker Or Display
Your Nest/Home device also allows you to purchase things directly, which can be useful for more casual shopping or quickly ordering something before you forget. Set up this feature now if you want to arrange for purchases.
First, open Google Home and make sure you are on the right account. Then select your Nest/Home device, and select the Settings cog at the top right. Go to Recognition & Sharing > Recognition & Personalization > Allow Personal Results. If multiple users are on the device, you will want to have *Voice Match *on, too.
Now, go back to the home screen and select your account icon. Go to Assistant Settings > Payments > Next to set up purchasing capabilities. Some important features to look for as you enable this capability are Pay Hands-Free, which can automatically approve purchases on unlocked devices, and Approve Purchases with Voice Match, which requires voice authentication to authorize any purchases .
How To Control Your Xbox One With Google Assistant
Joel Cornell
Joel Cornell has spent twelve years writing professionally, working on everything from technical documentation at PBS to video game content for GameSkinny. Joel covers a bit of everything technology-related, including gaming and esports. He’s honed his skills by writing for other industries, including in architecture, green energy, and education. Read more…
Although Google and Microsoft are competitors, theyre cooperating more than they used to. For example, you can now tell your Google Assistant to launch games, control media, or capture gameplay on your Xbox One.
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Expanding Xbox Voice Capabilities With Google Assistant
On Team Xbox, we put customer choice at the forefront of our decision making and regularly use community feedback to help guide the experiences we deliver to gamers. One piece of feedback weve heard loud and clear is that youve wanted more options for using digital assistants to interact with your Xbox.
Based on your feedback, we expanded our voice command capabilities with the release of the Xbox Skill for Alexa and Cortana last fall. We are excited to announce were further expanding our digital assistant capabilities on Xbox One with the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant. The new Xbox Action for the Google Assistant releases to public beta on Xbox One today and is available to all customers in English during the beta period. Google and Xbox are working together to expand language support before launching more broadly to the Xbox community later this fall.
With the release of the Xbox Action for the Google Assistant, you can now interact with your Xbox One in even more ways using just your voice, including the ability to turn your console on and off, launch games and apps, play and pause videos, and more, from the Google Assistant and Home-enabled devices, as well as the Google Assistant apps on iOS and Android.
Heres how to get started with the beta:
Gears 5
How To Change The Wi
If you get a new router or move to a new location that uses a different network, you will need to do some additional work to connect Google Home to a new Wi-Fi network.
First, you have to tell Google to forget the network it was previously connected to. By doing that, you can then set it up again with the new network.
To do this, open the Google Home app. Then select the device you want to change. Tap the cog at the top right, then scroll down to Wi-Fi and tap Forget that’s next to it. Now you can set it up once again as per the steps we covered previously.
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Add Compatible Smart Home Products
Google Nest devices are compatible with more than 30,000 smart home products. In the app, tap on Home Control to add a new device. Be sure that these smart home devices are all on the same Wi-Fi network, otherwise, you wont be able to control them from the Google Home.
Google is pretty good at recognizing connected devices when possible. However, its important to note that there is an additional function when setting up smart plugs. During setup, or afterward when visiting Device Settingsfor your smart plug, you will see an option that says Device Type.
You can then choose which type of appliance is plugged into that smart plug with options like smart light, air conditioner, coffee maker, fan, humidifier, and so on. Setting the appliance type can help identify specific smart plugs in the app and may be useful for tracking specific things like energy usage. It also helps Google Assistant understand commands more accurately, so you can give commands about the appliance itself, instead of about the smart plug!
Once all the devices are set up, youll be able to say OK Google, dim the lights, and your Philips Hue bulbs will adjust themselves to your requested setting. Then you can look into setting up routines on your Google Nest/Home device, so it can perform several actions based on just one voice command.
Check out our picks for the best Google Home-compatible devices.
What You Need To Know
- One early owner of the new Chromecast with Google TV has sideloaded the Xbox Game Pass app and successfully streamed Xbox Game Pass games to the TV.
- Google TV is a newer version of Android TV, which has already been successful in streaming Xbox games during the beta phase.
- At $50 the new Chromecast with Google TV is an extremely attractive living room product.
Google has just officially revealed its fall hardware lineup, which initially at least felt like an anti-climax since the whole lot had essentially leaked out in full before hand. But there’s always some surprises in store, and this time it’s from an old friend.
Former Windows Central writer, Jon Dollison, is one of the first people to have their hands on the new Chromecast with Google TV and would you believe it, streaming Xbox Game Pass games to the TV works like a charm.
Managed to sideload the app to my new Chromecast. Now I have a $50 Xbox streaming device. Managed to sideload the app to my new Chromecast. Now I have a $50 Xbox streaming device. Jonathan Dollison
Is this that surprising? Yes and no. I’ve previously played around with this on the NVIDIA Shield and with varying levels of success, with the NVIDIA Android TV box working so well it was almost like being an actual Xbox console. But it’s never worked with a Chromecast before, and given how bad it was in the past on the cheap Fire TV Stick it’s certainly a pleasant surprise.
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Customize And Connect Accounts
Google Home will now ask you about several different connections you can make on your devices to ensure it works with your current services. Heres what you will need to make decisions about:
Voice Match: Voice match can recognize your voice and distinguish it from several other voices. This is a great feature if multiple people in the home will be using the Google device and have their own Google accounts. However, it does mean that Google will be collecting additional information about you, so some people may want to pass.
Music services: Your devices can connect to services like Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and more. Connect any music services you use so your Home/Nest device can play them.
Video services: If you have a Google device that has a display, like the Nest Hub, you should also connect any video services you have. Supported video services include Netflix, CW, CBS, HBO Max, Hulu, Flex, YouTube, Viki, Crackle, Red Bull, Starz, and Google Play Movies and TV.
Google Duo: Some Google devices can make phone calls or video calls. Home will ask if you want to set this service up via Google Duo.
Google Photos: If you have a device with a display, Home will ask you if you want to connect your Google Photos account so it can show slideshows of your photos. This gives your device an added use, and even if you dont use Google Photos, you can choose to connect to general pictures from Googles art gallery instead. Other customization options are also available.
Microsoft Now Lets You Control Your Xbox With The Google Assistant
Story by
Rachel Kaser
Rachel is a writer and former game critic from Central Texas. She enjoys gaming, writing mystery stories, streaming on Twitch, and horseback Rachel is a writer and former game critic from Central Texas. She enjoys gaming, writing mystery stories, streaming on Twitch, and horseback riding. Check her Twitter for curmudgeonly criticisms.
Microsoft today revealed its collaborating with Google to bring the Xbox Action to the Assistant meaning youll soon be able to control your console by saying Hey Google.
With this update, you can command Google to turn your Xbox on and off, boot up apps, resume paused games, or take screenshots all the good stuff. Its basically the same thing as the Xbox skill currently available for Alexa. That means Xbox Ones now work with a large portion of voice-controlled devices currently on the market.
As of the last major update, Cortana has been mostly scrubbed from the Xbox One. The given reason was that the company was moving away from on-console experiences to cloud-based assistant experiences. I assumed that meant the substitution of Cortana for an Xbox skill on an existing voice assistant, and it seems thats exactly what Microsofts opted for, with both Alexa and now the Google Assistant.
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How Do I Get Google Play Movies To Play On My Computer
Log in to YouTube with the same Google account you purchased the content with. In the sidebar, locate Purchases and click on it. Choose the movie or TV show you want to play and itll play in a regular YouTube window as any other video on the service would.
Where can I buy movies for my Xbox One?
While Microsoft has a built in Movies and TV app for playing media purchased from Microsofts stores on your Xbox, people are more likely to purchase content on their phone using either the Google Play Store or iTunes.
How can I watch YouTube videos on my Xbox One?
Open the YouTube app on your Xbox or Xbox One and login to your Google account. Once logged in, using the sidebar menu, navigate to your library. There should be a Purchases sub-menu under your menu options once You can now watch purchased or rented videos for as long as they are available on your Xbox.
Can You Download Android Apps On Xbox One
How do I get TV app on Xbox One?
Press the Xbox button to open the guide. Select Profile & system > Settings > General > TV & display options > TV & OneGuide.
How do I connect my Xbox to my Google?
How do I get Internet on my Xbox?
Heres how you do that:
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Setting Up Your Home With Google Home
It can be confusing to learn how to set up Wi-Fi with Google Home and change it to a network if needed. Fortunately, once you know the steps, you can easily disconnect and reconnect a Google Home device to Wi-Fi wherever you want it.
Now that your Google Home is up and running, why not learn some useful commands for it? After all, a smart hub is only as useful as the commands that you give it.
Image Credit: CoinUp/ Shutterstock.com
Change What Google Assistant Calls You
If you scroll down in the app to Personal Info, youll see a spot that lets you change your nickname, and you can even teach Google Assistant to pronounce it correctly. So whether you want the voice assistant to call you Maam, Governor, or Mary Poppins, your wish is your Google Home devices command.
You can also .
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Can You Control All Google Home Devices From Your Pc
With an emulator, you have full access to all Google Home features. However, with the browser, you cannot set up new devices.
It is also possible to to take full advantage of Google’s virtual assistant. However, voice support is limited to streaming media from Chrome to Google Home devicesâyou’ll only enjoy a few simple commands, such as Stop and Max volume.
Using Windows 10? Turn off Cortana to use Google Home voice commands, to avoid conflicts with Microsoft’s virtual assistant.
- How do I use Google Home as a speaker for my PC?
If you have a Bluetooth-compatible PC, first put your Google Home speaker into pairing mode by saying, “OK Google, Bluetooth pairing.” Or, you can enable pairing on the Google Home app: tap Google Home> Paired Bluetooth devices> Enable Pairing Mode. Then, on your Windows 10 PC, enable Bluetooth settings and pair with your Google Home speaker.
- How do I connect Google Home Mini to my PC?
On the Google Home app, select Google Home Mini > Paired Bluetooth devices> Enable Pairing Mode. Then select Ready to pair and connect to Office Speaker. On your PC, enable Bluetooth settings and pair with Office Speaker.
Troubleshooting Tips During Setup
If something went wrong when you tried to set up your Nest or Home device, you arent alone.
Freezes and crashes are unfortunately common in the Google Home app. Sometimes, you try to pair the app with your home system and get no response. Still other times, the Home device you have just connected doesnt even show up as an icon on your Home app list.
If youre still in the pre-setup stage, you could find that troubleshooting is a significant challenge. We know its frustrating, but with perseverance and patience, you can successfully pull it off when you restart the software. Keep trying again until it works.
Since nothing on the device is connected properly at this stage, rebooting will be straightforward. Unplug your Google device, pause for at least 10 seconds, and then plug it in again.
Ensure youve completely closed the Home App if youve got an Android phone or device, just swipe the apps screen from bottom to top. This method for closing out an app is extremely similar to the iOS method. However, on older iOS models, youll need to tap the Home button two times and then swipe your applications upwards to close them.
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How To Connect A Google Home Device To Your Wi
The first step in getting any Google Home device integrated into your home is to connect it to a Wi-Fi network. Well show you how.
Google Home hubs are really useful, but only if they can get an internet connection. As such, if you’re setting up a brand new hub, or you just got a new router, you’ll want to know how to connect your Google Home to a Wi-Fi network.
Let’s explore how to connect your Google Home to Wi-Fi.
How To Connect Google Home And Logitech Harmony Home Hub To Ifttt
Out of the box, Google Home works with IFTTT, but you still have to set it up. Go to and login or signup for a free account. Once logged in, click this link to see my applet that you can use as a template for yours
In order to finish setting it up, you will need to setup your Google Assistant channel in IFTTT to connect to your Google account, and youll also need to setup your Logitech Harmony Home Hub channel in IFTTT to connect to your Harmony activities.
Once your channels are connected, the applet will take up to 3 different phrases for the Google Home to listen for, what you want to Google Home to answer with, and which Harmony activity should activate.
Thats it! Now, go ahead and copy this and make one for each of your harmony activities including turning everything off.
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below in the comments area. Thanks!
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