Things You Didnt Know About the White House

The Google Home Mini is one of the original smart speakers from Google's 6-speaker line up. Fifty-fifty though information technology's a few years old, information technology's still a mighty little speaker that packs a large punch, and at that place are probably at least a few things you lot didn't know it could do.

What is the Google Home Mini?

A Google Home Mini smart speaker sits on a countertop. — Credit: Google

Released in late 2017, the Google Home Mini is the kickoff iteration of Google's most meaty smart speaker that features Google Assistant. If you're an Alexa user, it'southward basically like the equivalent of Amazon's Repeat Dot.

Recently, Google launched a 2nd-generation version of its love and compact smart speaker, the Nest Mini. There aren't a ton of differences between the 2 Google speakers, but the Nest Mini does come with a faster Google Assistant and boasts better sound quality. However, the Google Dwelling Mini isn't to exist overlooked, peculiarly since information technology's almost always on sale for effectually $40 or less.

Thank you to its small design, the Google Domicile Mini is a good option for flat dwellers and higher students who alive in dorm rooms. It's besides a not bad identify to start if y'all're new to the earth of smart dwelling tech since it's easy to set up, and also because Google Assistant is more conversational than Amazon Alexa.

What tin the Google Abode Mini do?

From using your voice to shut off the lights, unlocking the front end door with only a tap, smart home devices, like the Google Home Mini, tin can make life a picayune easier.

Here are 15 things you probably didn't know Google Home Mini can do.

ane. Make your smart domicile fifty-fifty smarter

Google works with more than 30,000 smart devices from over three,500 different brands. Many smart dwelling house devices can exist controlled using Google Assistant so you lot can ask your Google Domicile Mini to dim the lights, control your thermostat, lock your doors, turn on the news, or change the book on your telly. Y'all can even first your robot vacuum and dictate which rooms in the house you want audio to play in.

Easter Egg (the simply-for-fun commands sure to bring you a laugh) #1: "Hey, Google, wubba lubba dub dub."

ii. Discover your lost phone

Google Home Mini and Phone — Credit: All-time Buy

Sure, Google can call (and hang upwards on) anyone from your contacts list with a few simple commands, but that's not the full dazzler of the Google Habitation Mini telephone call feature. If your phone has disappeared, in that location's no reason to waste material hours searching for it. Instead, call out an "OK, Google, detect my phone."

Your Google Dwelling house Mini will clarify, "OK, should I telephone call the number catastrophe in XXXX?" Once you lot confirm, you should hear your phone ringing wherever it's been lost. Bonus: If y'all have an Android, your Google Dwelling Mini volition make sure information technology rings even if you left it on silent.

Easter Egg #2: "Hey, Google, self-destruct."

3. Create a routine

Picture this: You wake up and say to your Google Home Mini, "Hey, Google, good morning," and it responds by automatically starting your coffee and then telling you the 24-hour interval's weather, the traffic you can expect to encounter on the fashion to work, the biggest news headlines for the twenty-four hours, and a reminder of what you have on your calendar.

Through your Google Assistant app, bachelor for download on iOS and Android devices, this routine (and several others, to include "Bedtime," "I'm Leaving," "I'chiliad Domicile," "Let'south Go to Work," and, "Let's Get Home,") tin can be established so that your Google Home Mini knows exactly what you want, day after twenty-four hours.

Easter Egg #3: "Hey, Google, inconceivable."

4. Make an announcement the whole house can hear

The beauty of having more than i Google Assistant-enabled speaker throughout your home is that when yous have an announcement you want to brand to your unabridged breed, you don't have to yell it downwards the halls. This is every bit unproblematic as saying, "OK, Google, broadcast that breakfast is prepare," or, "OK, Google, broadcast that information technology's time to go." You can even use your telephone to broadcast to anyone who may be habitation that you're on your way in that location, too.

Easter Egg #4: "Hey, Google, crystal ball."

Read more: How to reset your Google Habitation Mini

5. Pull upwards your favorite playlists

Equally a smart speaker, your Google Home Mini tin connect to your Spotify, Pandora, YouTube music, or TuneIn playlists to go on your space jamming all solar day long. You tin can request songs by artist, album, even by lyrics you may recall off the height of your head. And if, for some reason, y'all don't have accounts with any of those, Google Home Mini volition notwithstanding happily provide yous with gratis playlists from YouTube music (they just aren't quite equally customizable). And music isn't all Google Home Mini will play for you. Y'all can as well request white racket or the twenty-four hours's news.

Easter Egg #5: "Hey, Google, make me a sandwich."

six. Entertain the kids for days

Equipped with a library of knock-knock jokes and animal noises, the Google Home Mini tin can provide your kids with countless fun. Just team them to say, "OK, Google," and they'll be set for hours of enjoyment. Especially if y'all start with, "Hey, Google, did you fart?"

Y'all can enquire Google to tell them a story, play a game, or beatbox for them. And with responses to commands like, "Hey, Google, clean my room," and "Hey, Google, what's that odour?" they're sure to be rolling. You can fifty-fifty now set character alarms for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lego City, Lego Life, or Lego friends. All you have to do is say, "Hey, Google, set a Lego Friends alert for 8 am" and your Google Home Mini will take it from in that location.

Still, it's a adept idea to fine tune the device'south restricted content controls to your liking before letting your kids loose with the Google Home Mini.

Easter Egg #6: "Hey, Google, I am your male parent."

7. Set a sleep timer

Google Home Mini Charcoal — Credit: Best Purchase

If you like falling asleep to music or white noise, but you lot don't want it to exist playing all nighttime, just say, "OK, Google, set a sleep timer for 1 hr," one time the sound is playing. Don't let the name fool you lot, though; the sleep timer doesn't just have to be for nighttime, and in that location's no set amount of time y'all need to stick to.

You tin also employ it as a guideline to yourself for how long you demand to work on a project that day, as a timer for when yous need to get out of the shower, or every bit a way to keep your pets visitor while you're gone.

Easter Egg #7: "Hey, Google, my milk shake brings all the boys to the chiliad."

8. Speak your language.

Your Google Home Mini is well-versed in a number of languages. And it can even be set up to respond to two languages at a fourth dimension including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese. Adding a 2d linguistic communication can be accomplished through the Google Home app on your smartphone or tablet. Google Abode Mini can as well act as your translator when you say, "How do you say [give-and-take] in [language]?"

Easter Egg #8: "Hey, Google, I'm naked."

9. Get in shape

Not only can Google Dwelling house Mini integrate with your Fitbit, providing updates on your vitals and tracking your workouts and caloric intake throughout the day, it can likewise give y'all conditioning tips and do ideas.

Additionally, Google Home Mini is equipped to reply whatever questions you may have about the caloric, sugar, protein or nutrient content in any number of foods you lot may be eating, or considering eating. The tiny Google-enabled device can also aid you observe good for you recipes, create your shopping list, and guide you through making those recipes in the kitchen.

Easter Egg #9: "Hey, Google, it'southward my birthday."

10. Keep your day moving

Google Home Mini Aqua — Credit: Best Buy

With your Google Domicile Mini, you can go along rail of your daily agenda, any meetings or appointments you may accept coming up, and whatever reminders you lot may take set up for yourself. For example, you lot can ask Google to remind you to pick up milk or to call back where you hid the countersign for your computer. Your Google Dwelling Mini tin can as well help you manage connecting with people in unlike time zones by letting you know what time it is wherever they may be. And if you lot're worried about losing track of time yourself, yous can always ready an warning for annihilation yous may have coming upwardly—to include waking up every morning to your favorite playlist.

Easter Egg #10: "Hey, Google, information technology'due south not my birthday."

11. Assist you program a holiday

If you're itching for a trip somewhere far away, Google Domicile Mini can assistance get y'all there. Just start by asking, "OK, Google, tell me almost flights to [your preferred destination]."

From in that location, Google has hooked upwardly with several hotel booking sites (to include Expedia, Priceline and Choice Hotels) to assist you book rooms wherever you may be traveling. You lot can even ask virtually commute times, local traffic or weather condition information, and for directions to anywhere you may want to visit.

Easter Egg #11: "Hey, Google, what is your quest?"

12. Exercise your math homework.

You may not desire to let the kids know this, but Google tin can definitely reply their bones math questions—and yours! Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, counting, measurement and currency conversions, even fractions; your Google Home Mini can do it. You can also ask Google to flip a coin, roll a die, or choose a random number.

Easter Egg #12: "Hey, Google, sing a vocal."

thirteen. Lighten the mood.

If it's been a rough day, consider calling out, "OK, Google, tell me something adept." The result volition be a happy news story certain to warm your heart and bring a smile to your face. You tin can also play games with Google. Effort, "Hey, Google, I'm feeling lucky." Or, "OK, Google, Mad Libs," for something light, fun, and stress-relieving.

Easter Egg #thirteen: "Hey, Google, upward upwards down downwards left right left right B A start."

fourteen. Google all your questions

This may come as a stupor to you, but your Google Home Mini is equipped with quite the impressive search engine. Never again do you have to sit around wondering who starred in that picture show, what local Italian restaurants you accept to choose from, or how to find a expert heating specialist nearby. Google tin can detect it all for yous. And if you lot're just bored, ask Google to surprise y'all. You lot'll end up with a random fact y'all've probably never heard before.

Easter Egg #fourteen: "Hey, Google, set phasers to impale."

15. Stay serenity at night

Your Google Domicile Mini is a pretty awesome trivial tool, but that doesn't mean it'south infallible. If you've had it set up for a few weeks at present, it'southward possible you lot've been woken upwardly by unexpected notifications or an alert that was much louder than expected. You can prevent this by setting upwardly night mode through your Google Home App, available for download on iOS and Android devices.

There, you have three options: setting a time frame for night mode to go into effect, putting your Google Dwelling Mini into Practise Not Disturb mode, or adjusting the nightly brightness and max volume.

Easter Egg #xv: "Hey, Google, winter is coming."

Google Home Mini and privacy concerns

With stories of hackers gaining entry into smart dwelling security cameras, privacy concerns are at the forefront of many consumer minds these days, and rightfully and then. And, if you have a smart habitation speaker in your home already, you may already exist mindful of how your information is shared and your power to control privacy settings on a detail device.

Major tech companies similar Apple and Amazon have addressed privacy concerns over using audio recordings as part of their respective vox-assistant quality evaluation processes—and Google did the same in September 2019.

Google published a blog nearly how the company is working toward protecting user privacy equally it relates to Google Assistant. But, the company underlined that they practise not "retain your sound recordings" and take never done so.

So, what does it mean for you? As far as the Google Habitation Mini is concerned, Google won't automatically store your conversations with Google Assistant unless y'all requite the device permission to exercise so.

On the bottom of the device, you lot'll find a toggle switch that turns the mic on and off. So if you're concerned almost a sensitive conversation beingness recorded, merely manually power off the microphone.

Get the Google Dwelling Mini at Walmart for $39

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Source: https://www.reviewed.com/smarthome/features/15-things-you-didnt-know-a-google-home-mini-could-do