Google Assistant isn't just there to set timers and tell you when Michael Jordan was born (February 17, 1963, by the way) — it's capable of being a central control system for all of your smart home tech. And today, Google has announced that Assistant hit a huge milestone in the smart home: it can now control over 5,000 distinct devices, up dramatically from 1,500 since the start of the year.
These products and services work with Google Home
Having thousands of devices available for use with Assistant is great, but it only matters if the ones you actually have in your home (or are planning to get) are supported. That's why Google's working with as many of the biggest and most popular names in smart home tech as possible. These are some of the latest announcements on that front:
In the coming months, the DISH Hopper DVR will integrate Google Assistant, enabling you to talk directly to your TV system and ask for specific programming from DISH. Google is also simplifying and improving Logitech Harmony hub voice controls for media, so you can go directly to favorite channels, control the volume and play or pause programming.
You won't use more than a couple dozen smart home products, but having choice is always great.
On the security system front, Nest products obviously work with Google Assistant. But Google is also announcing partnerships with a whole slew of big-name security companies that will integrate with Google Assistant, including alert notifications and live video streams, soon. Google specifically names security systems from ADT, First Alert, and Vivint Smart Home; smart door locks from August and Schlage; and security cameras from Panasonic and Arlo.
Google also has a massive list of companies on board with their standard appliances. These are just a handful of the well-known brands with Assistant-ready products on the way: ADT lights, Xiaomi lights, Hunter Douglas window treatments, HiSense A/C and dehumidifiers, and new LG appliances.
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It's a lot to take in, I know — and you aren't likely to just pick and choose all of these products based solely on their support for Google Assistant. But knowing that all of these big name brands are ready to work with Google Assistant means you'll have more choices and a better chance of a (near) seamless integration of new products to your existing smart home system if you're already using Assistant. Expect to see specific announcements about availability and support of individual products later this year.
Turning your house into a smart home with the Google Assistant
How many times have you crawled into bed and realized you forgot to turn off the living room lights? Or tried to catch the last minutes of the game but couldn't find the remote? These are the moments we ask ourselves: how is this still a thing?!
With the Google Assistant we're working to make this experience a lot better, so you can easily control all the devices and appliances in your home with just your voice. Over the past year, we've made great progress ensuring that the Google Assistant can work with all types of connected devices, and now every major device brand works with the Assistant in the U.S.
Just how many devices is that? Today, the Google Assistant can connect with more than 5,000 devices for your home—up from 1,500 this January. That includes cameras, dishwashers, doorbells, dryers, lights, plugs, thermostats, security systems, switches, vacuums, washers, fans, locks, sensors, heaters, AC units, air purifiers, refrigerators, ovens … we can keep on going!
Here are just a few of the new ways you can make your home smarter with the Google Assistant:
Turn your living room into a smart entertainment center
One of the most popular ways people use the Google Assistant in their homes is to watch TV and play music. In fact, media and entertainment queries like "play SportCenter," have increased 400 percent over the past six months.
Millions of people already have access to the Assistant on smart TVs powered by Android TV, and we're still seeing tremendous growth. We're also making it easy to turn any TV into a smart TV with Chromecast, so you can easily control what you're watching with the Google Assistant on smart speakers like Google Home. And we're working closely with partners to build the Assistant into the next generation of TVs available later this year.
We're also bringing the Google Assistant to more set top boxes and remotes. Rolling out this month, DISH's Hopper family of receivers will work with the Google Assistant, so people in millions of U.S. homes can operate their TV using their voice and a Google Assistant device. Just say "Hey Google, play ESPN on the Hopper" to your Google Assistant and your TV will automatically tune to the right channel. And soon, it'll be even easier to control home entertainment using Logitech Harmony hub-based remotes with the Google Assistant. The new, simplified voice commands will let you go directly to your favorite channels, control volume, or pause a show.
Get helpful alerts from your security camera
Security cameras and smart doorbells let you keep tabs on activity around your home, and we've worked to ensure that the Google Assistant works seamlessly with these devices. If you have a Nest Hello doorbell, the Assistant will alert you if someone rings the doorbell, sending a chime to your smart speaker or phone with the option to view the live stream right from your phone, TV or our new line of Smart Display devices available later this year. This Nest product was the first to ship with this feature, and we'll enable Assistant notifications on more home security devices from other popular brands later this year.
We're also adding more popular security alarm brands that will now work with your Google Assistant, including ADT, First Alert, and Vivin Smart Home, smart door locks from August and Schlage, and home security cameras from Panasonic.
Turn on all the things with the Google Assistant
With the Google Assistant, you can easily control all the connected devices in your home, from lights, to thermostats, to appliances, all in one simple place. You can do this with your smart speaker like the Google Home Mini, or with the Google Assistant app on your smartphone, turning your phone into your own personal home control hub even when you're away from home.
We've been working with device brands around the world to ensure the Assistant works with all the most popular home control devices. We recently announced support for IKEA lights and Deutsche Telekom's Magenta hub which enables dozens of devices to be controlled by Google Assistant. Our partners are continuing to add even more devices that work with the Google Assistant across the home in the coming months, including ADT lights, Xiaomi lights, Hunter Douglas window treatments, Hisense Portable AC and Dehumidifiers, Arlo security cameras, and new LG appliances (from air purifiers to TVs).
Try it out today
With more than one million Actions the Google Assistant can help you with today, we bet you'll discover something new you never knew the Assistant could do. Some of the most popular smart home actions with the Google Assistant are "Hey Google:
- Turn on the lights
- Set the temperature to X degrees
- Turn on the TV
- Dim the lights
- Arm the security alarm
Give it a try today - check out the Explore page to see all the actions the Assistant can help you with.
