Family TechNotes: Best Ways to Use Google Home

Thanks to Best Buy, I was gifted a Google Home at the Mom 2.0 Summit I attended last year.  I couldn’t wait to get home and start trying it. 

It’s a year later and I have really enjoyed using Google Home, I use it nearly every day.  About six months later, Techlicious gifted me with another Google Home, so now I have two – one upstairs in our master bedroom and one downstairs in the kitchen.

Find out more about Google Home in our article, 5 Gadgets to Organize Your Life.

For those of you who haven’t used a voice assistant in the home yet…or even those who have one but need inspiration for more voice assistant use ideas, we are sharing some of our favorite uses here.

Google Home Commands

 1.  Add to your shopping list.

This is my FAVORITE feature of Google Home.  When I’m cooking or just finished eating something, I inevitably realize we need to buy something from the store.  No need to write it down on a list, I just say,

“Hey Google, add spinach, avocados, and sunscreen to my list.”

Google will add all three (or more) items to your list, which you will find listed for you in the shopping list in the Google Home app.  The added kicker? Anyone in your family can easily add items to your shopping list too, so you’re not the only one keeping track of food inventory!

2.  Play mood music.

When I’m cooking, I love to hear jazz music playing in the background.  Without skipping a beat (or in this case a chop of my knife), I just say,

“Hey Google, play some jazz music.”

And continuous jazz music plays on for me.  When I’m done I just say, “Hey Google, stop.” and the music stops.  It works for any kind of music, I’ve tried Christian, 80’s, and instrumental. 

Google uses Google Play Music and Pandora for playback.  You can only use Spotify and YouTube Music if you have a premium account.

3.  Watch your favorite YouTube video or Netflix show/movie.

YouTube

So I have one of my favorite SNL skits that I like to show my mom friends, especially those with a teenager daughter like I have. 

I have noticed at times that moms tend to bend over backward for their daughters, so I love laughing with them while we watch this skit of what happens when our daughters go away to college and come back to visit.  

But, if you’ve ever searched for a video using your remote and YouTube on your TV, it’s a pain.  So I went online and purchased a Google Chromecast.  I purchased the Ultra 4K version for $50 from Best Buy, but you can get the normal Chromecast (without 4k) for $25.

I hooked up the Chromecast ULTRA using the HDMI port (and a plug for electricity) into my TV which is about 20 feet away from my Google Home in my kitchen.  Now I can say,

“Hey Google, play Back Home Baller from YouTube on Family Room TV”

[Family Room TV is what I call my Ultra Chromecast in the Google Home app]

and this funny daughters video becomes a choice of several on YouTube I can ask Google Home and Chromecast to play.  It’s so easy!

Netflix

Similar to YouTube videos, you can use Google Chromecast to watch a specific show or movie on Netflix.  Simply say,

“Hey Google, play Moana on Netflix”

and the Disney movie Moana started playing right where I left off on Netflix.  Love it!

4.  Relive your memories.

If you use the Google Photos app, you can ask Google Home to play a slideshow of pictures from Google Photos on your TV with Google Chromecast.  We just returned from a trip from Hawaii, so I can say,

“Hey Google, show me pictures from Hawaii on Family Room TV”

and a picture slideshow with about 5 seconds between each picture plays.  Of course, if I have pictures from Hawaii from a previous trip, these pictures will show too, but the most recent pictures show first.

This is great for showing pictures from Christmas, a wedding, pictures of a particular family member (whom you’ve already named in the Google Photos app), a particular year, and more.  So cool!

5.  What’s the weather?

I use this one nearly every day.  Google Home knows where I live so I get a forecast for my city when I ask,

“Hey Google, what’s the weather?”

Rather have the forecast for the week?  Just ask,

“Hey Google, what’s the 5-day forecast?”

Packing for a vacation? Ask,

“Hey Google, what’s the 7-day forecast in Denver?”

Having a second Google Home in my bedroom makes getting ready for the day a lot easier.  To save money, just get a Google Home Mini for other locations in the house.  It’s less than half the cost of the Google Home and works in conjunction with your main Google Home.

6.  Set Reminders.

As moms, we often have 100 things on our mind at any given moment.  Things are bound to slip through the cracks.  Let Google Home help you.  Do you often push dinner to the last minute and then realize you forgot to defrost the chicken?  Earlier in the day say,

“Hey Google, remind me to defrost the chicken at 4 pm.”  

You will receive a verbal reminder at 4 pm on your Google Home device and a notification on your phone.

You can use a “place” reminder for many helpful reminders.  Say there’s a certain supplement you buy only when you go to Whole Foods, but you don’t go there very often.  Just set up a reminder to buy your supplement the next time you go to Whole Foods and you will receive a notification one Google detects you are in the store.  You can say,

“Hey Google, remind me to pick up maqui berry powder the next time I’m at Whole Foods“

Really, it’s true, it works!

7.  Play a game.

There are a bunch of different games to play with Google Home but they have a fun family trivia game that’s chockful of fun facts and sizzling sound effects.  Just say,

“Hey Google, play Lucky Trivia for families,”

and the Google Assistant will serve up a fun trivia game, using each person’s name (or nickname) to address each player with their own question.  It’s a great game to play as you’re cooking dinner or when the kids have friends over.

There are so many more things you can do with Google Home, see the list here.  These Google Home/Assistant commands mentioned in this article are ones I use all the time.  I’m still learning helpful and fun ways to use Google Home too. 

Google Home is also great for asking for homework help, conversions in the kitchen, the latest news, the meaning of a word, whether a particular flight number is running on time, and even asking my daily schedule.

If you’re a Google Home or Assistant fan, tell us your favorite commands in the comments below.

Happy Home googling!

*I was given a Google Home.  All opinions are my own.