The Script Editor of the Home App: Automations for Smart Home Users with Autocomplete and Multi-device Screening in the Home app
The script editor of the Home app gives you access to everything that the Home app has to offer, and there are more features and capabilities that fit your unique understanding of your home and what you want it to do.
This is definitely a prosumer offering. While the autocomplete makes it easier to code for your home — by suggesting your devices in the “device” field and only suggesting actions and states that are available to those devices — this is not for the casual smart home user.
The development of the script editor is an exciting development for the platform, and it was limited compared to the competition, both in terms of the devices it supports and the types of automations you can use.
Along with allowing for multiple starters and actions, the script editor adds more advanced conditions. You can set an automation to run only if the show is on, but before midnight. If you wish to be in the public preview of the script editor automations, you can apply here.
Using Google Home to Refresh the Google Home App for a Matter Hub: How Much Do I Need To Know Before I Wake Up?
I am interested to know if Matter will work with the Google Home app on my phone. I haven’t had much time to fix the software update because it only just went live. It is thought that it will make it easier to use smart devices. Although I have feelings about smart displays, I’m interested in trying out the Nest Hub Max as a Matter hub. I want to use the refreshed Google Home app a little more. The updated app and iPhone support for Matter make the platform more appealing.
That means any person who uses a Protect smoke detector along with other devices will probably need both of the apps. Fortunately, that’s supposed to change soon, but again, as with motion triggers for Routines, I haven’t seen it yet in the latest version of my Google Home app.
I’d also wholeheartedly suggest Wyze light bulbs as part of your setup. They’re cheap, they work well, and they’re compatible with Google Assistant. I have a combination of white-light-only and color-changing bulbs. They all have an option to switch between warm white light during the day and cooler white light in the evening.
You may already own a device that’s compatible with the internet search engine. Find out what companies and products work with your device options.
A single “OK, GOOGLE” command saves me a small amount of time each day. It probably also means I’m saving money and energy over time because I’m less likely to leave lights on or forget to adjust the thermostat during parts of the day when we need less heat or AC.
There are new options for triggering in Routines. Rather than a specific time at sunrise or sunset or turning off an alarm, you now can start a routine when a device does something. That means you can start an automation when your camera detects motion or when your lights, smart plugs, or any other compatible devices do something.
Imagine if the lights were turned on automatically when I woke up, and the shades opened. What if the smart display in the kitchen started showing me news when my electric kettle started boiling, without me saying a word? Yes, I could schedule some of these things today, but I don’t always get up at the exact same time every day. I could use a voice command, too, but it would be even easier if I didn’t even have to ask Google Assistant to read me the news.
If you have a Chromecast with Google TV, you can view your Google Nest camera or doorbell’s live feed on your TV — and use Google Assistant on the Chromecast remote to play your favorite shows.
Google got a lot right when it bought Nest in 2014, but it ramped up too slowly, releasing only a modest trickle of new connected home hardware before eventually introducing its first Google Assistant-powered smart speaker in 2016. Once it was decided that the smart home was actually a thing, that’s when the lengthy rebrand began. The tech giant brought Nest officially under the Google name in 2019, which involved a frustratingly glitchy software migration from the Nest app to Google Home.
The Google Nest Hub Max’s audio quality and display resolution are strong enough for me to overcome my general dislike of smart displays. I can easily view my connected products on the display and make adjustments there if I don’t have my phone handy — or use a quick voice command.
After years of testing a lot of voice assistants with lots of different things to do, I feel like Google Assistant is more natural. It does a great job answering general questions without messing with me or not knowing the answer.
You can use the phone’s operating system to command your connected devices. If you have an iPhone, you can access Google Assistant through the Google Home app. You can use one of their displays or smart speakers.