Using voice control in your life is not science fiction. If you know the right "Okay Google" voice commands to say to Google Assistant, it can improve your life in ways you never imagined.
In this article, we're going to take a walk through the typical day of a Google Assistant power user. You'll see how Google Assistant can streamline your entire day. You'll learn how you can take the daily hassles out of your life and how you can even improve your relationships.
Getting up in the morning, you're not sure what to wear for the workday. Will it be hot or cold? Will it rain or not? You turn to your phone and say, "Ok google tell me the time."
Google Assistant tells you (aloud) the weather for the day and the forecast for the week.
Using what you learn from Google Assistant, you choose your outfit accordingly. Cold but sunny means a nice sweater, jeans, and sunglasses.
As you sit on the couch with your morning coffee, all you have to do is say "OK Google, play the news on my TV."
Google Assistant streams the latest news from your favorite news sources to the TV you set up in your Google Home app, like a Chromecast device.
You need to set up your Chromecast TV with the Google Assistant once, by going to Settings and Home control . If you've set up your Chromecast with the Google Home app, then Google Assistant will show the TV here.
Once that's set up, you can tell Google Assistant to cast whatever you want to that screen. This could be the morning news from YouTube, music from Spotify, or anything else from any Chromecast-enabled app on your phone.
If you have a Chromecast, you can explore many other ways to use Google Assistant to control your Chromecast How to control Chromecast from a phone with Google Assistant How to control Chromecast from a phone with Google Assistant Did you know that you can control a Chromecast with your voice? Commands using nothing but Google Assistant? Read more . And if you just bought one, we can help you set up your new Chromecast How to set up and use your Chromecast How to set up and use your Chromecast If you just got a Chromecast, this is the item you need. Learn the guide to set it up. Read more.
You love listening to music during your commute to work. But turning knobs and pressing buttons is old school. When you get out of the way, you say "OK Google, play Eminem on Spotify."
For this to work properly, you need to set up your preferred music service. Go to Settings and then Music .
Once it's set up, you just have to ask Google Assistant to play what you want. This also keeps your hands free to drive and focus on the road. That's one of the security benefits of adding voice control to your life.
If you don't use Spotify, it's very easy to change your default music player How to change the default music player for Google Assistant How to change the default music player for Google Assistant If you use Google Assistant to play music, you should make sure that you have linked the correct accounts and set your favorite as default. Read more if you want.
You're halfway to work and realize you forgot to put the trash out at the curb. Just say, "Okay Google, remind me to take out the trash at 8 p.m.."
Google Assistant will confirm by voice and then add the reminder to your Google Calendar.
Throughout the day, whenever you have something you need to remember later, all you have to do is ask Google Assistant to remind you later. Goes to!
When you arrive at work, you discover that the parking lot is completely full and that you need to park at the far end of the lot. He knows he'll never find his car after work again, so he tells Google Assistant, "OK Google, remember where I parked."
Whenever you issue the command to save your parking location, Google Assistant stores a map image of your current location. When you need to see that location, just ask, “OK Google, where did I park??”
Once you start work and get ready for the day, one of your co-workers walks up to you and tells you that he has a pretty bad migraine. They ask for your advice.
Since you're not a doctor, you don't want to give them a bad tip. So once again, they turn to Google Assistant.
Google Assistant is integrated with a number of useful online services. One of them is a virtual nurse who will answer any of your medical questions. So just say, “OK Google, ask the virtual nurse how to cure a migraine.”
You share the virtual nurse tips with your colleague and help them to cure their migraine. You are a good friend!
Once lunchtime rolls around, some of your colleagues want to go to their favorite restaurant. It's a great meal, but the part you least enjoy comes. You receive your bill and you have to calculate the tip..
Don't worry, because the Google Assistant has you covered too. You ask Google Assistant, “What is 15 percent of 25?”
The response arrives in less than a couple of seconds.
Add a hefty 15 percent tip to your receipt and you'll be good to go before all your colleagues have figured out their own suggestions!
On the way back to the office, you decide to show off the Google Assistant to your colleagues and ask Friendly Fortune Teller about your future.
The Friendly Fortune Teller is another “assistant”, just like the virtual nurse, built into the Google Assistant.
After laughing at your silly fortune, one of the ladies in the group claims that she knows how to rap..
Isn't it convenient that Google Assistant can help with that? You say, "OK Google, drop a beat."
Google Assistant enlists the help of an expert beatboxer who starts tapping the beat from the phone's speakers for him..
After his co-worker demonstrates his amazing freestyle skills, they all head back to the office to finish up their afternoon at work.
Once you've returned home to your family (and after Google Assistant reminded you to take out the trash!), you decide to spend some time coloring with your kids.
There's no need to go to the store for a coloring book, because you know all you have to do is tell Google Assistant, "Hey Google, ask your HP printer to print a coloring page."
The first time you want to try this out, you'll need to set it up with your own HP printer. The printer must also be web-enabled. So set up your printer to work with Google Cloud Print. Next, you'll need to issue the command to Google Assistant and tap the link to set up your printer for the first time.
Once you have your HP printer connected to the cloud and enabled with the Google Assistant “HP Action”, you can issue any printer commands you want by voice.
If your printer is not a web-enabled model, you will see the warning shown above that it is not a web-enabled model, but voice commands will still work.
After coloring with the kids, you decide to cook dinner with your spouse. After opening a bottle of wine, you say, “OK Google, play the Food Network lasagna recipe.”
Google Assistant shows you several recipes to choose from. To choose the one you want, just click to send it to your Google Home speaker.
This feature is available for any recipe on Bon Appetit or the Food Network. No need to carry cookbooks or recipe cards anymore, now that Google Assistant can read the recipe aloud while you focus on cooking.
If you don't already have a Google Home speaker, it can really improve your use of Google Assistant. Read our Google Home Review Google Home Review Google Home Review is a smart speaker with a personal assistant, and it comes from a company that literally knows everything. The $130 Google device answers questions, controls your smart home and plays music. Should you buy one? Read more and decide if it's right for you.
Sitting down to dinner with the family, they all start engaging in one of their silly family arguments. This time it's about why cats always land on their feet. Everyone has a different answer and no one knows who is right! Once again you turn to Google Assistant for help.
“OK Google, why do cats land on their feet??”
The answer arrives in seconds, spoken out loud in a digital voice for all to hear.
With that settled, dinner is ready! Everyone rinses off their plates, and you and your spouse settle in for a night of Netflix.
One of the nicest things about having Google Assistant connected to Netflix and Chromecast is the ability to say, "OK Google, Play Stranger Things on TV," and Google Assistant takes care of the rest.
There are few things that will make you feel more like you are living in a futuristic dream world. You can cuddle with your spouse on the couch and, without picking up the remote, issue a voice command to Google Assistant to start the evening's entertainment.
It doesn't get much cooler than that.
After watching a bit of television, both you and your spouse are ready for bed. After brushing your teeth, you realize that you are exhausted. Thanks to Google Assistant, you don't have to work very hard to get ready for bed.
You flop onto your pillow, lean into your phone, and say, "OK Google, set the alarm for 5:30 am tomorrow."
Once this is done, you look towards the desk lamp in the corner of the room. You realize you forgot to turn it off.
Without worries. Thanks to Google Assistant, you don't have to get out of bed. Close your eyes and say the last words of the day, “OK Google, turn off the desk lamp.”
When the bedroom is dark, you smile. Your day just got a whole lot better thanks to Google Assistant.
If you have Philips Hue lights, you should know that Google Assistant can control them too. It's just one addition to the many automation opportunities that Philips Hue lights offer.
What sets Google Assistant apart from other productivity apps is that instead of wasting your time on unimportant tasks like turning on light switches, looking up information, or playing music and movies, Google Assistant gives you that time back. Spend that on your kids or spouse, or on activities that are more important to you.
These daily actions are some of the many commands you can perform. Use the Google Assistant Actions Directory to navigate through the other commands. There are more than a million of them. That's a million ways to make your life easier..
If you're just getting started, be sure to read our introduction to Google Assistant What is Google Assistant and how to use it? What is the Google Assistant and how to use it? Here's what it can do and why you should start using it. Read more and start automating your life today.
