Google Home y Google Assistant They've become essential tools for those who want to automate their homes, manage daily tasks, enjoy unlimited entertainment, or simply harness the power of artificial intelligence in their everyday lives. Whether you're new to these assistants or already experienced, here you'll discover the most complete, up-to-date, and comprehensive guide to useful and advanced commands. Get ready to get the most out of your smart speaker and all compatible Google devices.
What is Google Home and how does it work with Google Assistant?
Google Home is the range of smart speakers and displays Created by Google, designed so you can communicate with your voice and the Google Assistant can carry out commands, search for information, manage your home, and provide entertainment. There are various models, such as the Home Mini, Home, Nest Mini, and Nest Hub, all compatible with the Assistant. So, you can:
- Make queries, control IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and automate tasks.
- Receive personalized information (daily summaries, news, agenda…)
- Play music, podcasts, audiobooks, videos, and control your TV.
- Send messages, make calls, play games, learn languages, and much more.
To take advantage of all the possibilities, You just need to have your Google Home device properly connected to Wi-Fi and configured through the Google Home app on your mobile phone or tablet.
First steps before using voice commands
Before diving into the world of commands, it is important to:
- Install the Google Home app (available on Google Play and the App Store).
- Set up and pair all your devices (speakers, displays, Chromecast, TV, lights, robot vacuums, cameras, etc.).
- Customize settings: language, voice recognition, routines, location, default music and video services.
- Authorize permissions for managing contacts, calendar, location, etc.
This way you can enjoy all the commands and take advantage of the most advanced features.
How to use voice commands?
Most commands begin with "Ok Google" or "Hey Google" for the device to listen and execute the command, although on mobile devices you can also activate the assistant by pressing the home button. Additionally, you can use the dictation function, type the command, or interact, if your model allows it, using the touchpad or gestures.
Basic and general commands for Google Home
- Ok Google, good morning – Receive your personalized daily briefing with weather, calendar, news, traffic, reminders, and more.
- Ok Google, let's go home – Updates traffic status, messages, and activates specific arrival routines.
- Ok Google, time to sleep – Dim lights, activate relaxing sounds, set alarms, or automatically turn off devices.
- Ok Google, turn up the volume / down the volume / volume at 5 / turn the volume to maximum
- Ok Google, set the language to English and Spanish – Make your Google Home bilingual so you can speak multiple languages fluently without changing settings.
- Ok Google, call me – Have the assistant call you by a specific or affectionate name.
- Ok Google, recognize my voice – Add voice patterns and distinguish household members for custom replies, accounts, and routines.
Useful morning commands and daily routines
- Hey Google, what's on my calendar today? / What do I have to do today?
- Ok Google, tell me the summary of my day
- Ok Google, tell me the news / bring me up to date / put news of
- Ok Google, is it going to rain today? / What's the weather like in ? / What's the wind like today?
- Hey Google, how's the traffic to my work?
- Ok Google, wake me up at / set an alarm for 20 minutes from now
- Ok Google, tell me an interesting fact.
Music and media playback commands
Enjoy your favorite music, audiobooks, podcasts, and videos on any connected device:
- Ok Google, play music
- Ok Google, play jazz/rock/pop
- Ok Google, play the playlist
- Ok Google, play me a Queen song /
- Ok Google, put of
- Ok Google, next song / previous song / pause music / resume / skip
- Hey Google, what's playing?
- Ok Google, play the radio
- Ok Google, play videos
- Ok Google, play on Netflix on
- Ok Google, turn the TV volume up/down.
- Ok Google, put on the subtitles / remove the subtitles
- Ok Google, connect the Bluetooth speaker – To improve audio quality with external speakers.
Advanced home automation and smart home commands
One of the great advantages of Google Home is the complete control of home automation:
- Ok Google, turn on/off the living room/bedroom lights
- Ok Google, change the color of the lights to blue/red/etc.
- Ok Google, dim the lights to 30%
- Ok Google, lower the temperature 2 degrees
- Ok Google, set your thermostat to 22 degrees.
- Ok Google, turn on the air conditioning / turn off the fan
- Ok Google, raise/lower the blinds
- Ok Google, turn on the / make the robot return to base
- Ok Google, show the garden security camera
- Ok Google, lock the front door
Always consult the list of compatible smart devices to expand your home automation ecosystem.
Commands for alarms, reminders, timers and calendar
- Ok Google, set an alarm for 7:30
- Ok Google, wake me up every day at 6:45
- Hey Google, remind me to turn off the oven in 20 minutes.
- Ok Google, countdown
- Ok Google, add an event to the calendar for
- Hey Google, when is my next doctor's appointment?
- Ok Google, add a note / What are my reminders today?
- Ok Google, delete all alarms
Control your mobile and other devices with Google Assistant
- Hey Google, turn on/off WiFi/Bluetooth/Flashlight
- Ok Google, open
- Ok Google, take a photo / record a video
- Ok Google, call / send a WhatsApp to and tell him
- Hey Google, open my Google account settings.
- Ok Google, show my search history
- Ok Google, turn on the flashlight
Commands to manage purchases and your shopping list
- Ok Google, add to shopping list
- Hey Google, what's on my shopping list?
- Ok Google, remove from my shopping list
- Ok Google, clear the shopping list
- Ok Google, show the status of my orders
- Hey Google, track my packages.
Travel, transport and location commands
- Ok Google, how to get there
- Ok Google, where am I?
- Ok Google, how long does it take to drive to ?
- Hey Google, what's the nearest pharmacy/ATM/restaurant?
- Ok Google, tell me the address of
- Ok Google, I want a train/bus to
- Ok Google, what flights are there from to in?
- Ok Google, map of
- Ok Google, take me home / take me to my job
Language commands, translation, and general knowledge
- Ok Google, how do you say it in English/French/German/…
- Ok Google, translate the phrase "good morning" into Japanese for me.
- Ok Google, I want you to be my English translator. (real-time interpreter mode)
- Ok Google, what does it mean?
- Ok Google, tell me a synonym for / antonym of
Math Commands and Quick Calculations
- Ok Google, how much is 25 times 12? / How much is 50 divided by 4?
- Ok Google, square root of 49
- Ok Google, how many dollars are 20 euros?
- Ok Google, count to 30
- Ok Google, calculate the VAT on 200 euros.
Commands for leisure, games and entertainment
- Ok Google, tell me a joke
- Okay Google, tell me a scary story.
- Ok Google, sing me a song
- Ok Google, recite me a poem
- Ok Google, surprise me / tell me something funny / tell me an interesting fact
- Ok Google, let's play – Choose from dozens of games: trivia, trivia, blackjack, guess the word, escape room, tic-tac-toe…
- Okay Google, flip a coin / heads or tails / roll a die / tell me a number from 1 to 50
- Ok Google, play Akinator
- Hey Google, ask me a riddle.
- Ok Google, play 21 blackjack / tic-tac-toe
- Ok Google, tell me about your life.
- Okay Google, who's your father / Are you Skynet? / Talk to me like Yoda
Useful commands for searches and curiosities
- Ok Google, how old is ?
- Ok Google, what is the capital of ?
- Ok Google, how many inhabitants does it have?
- Ok Google, who wrote ?
- Ok Google, how many calories does it have?
- Ok Google, what does the horoscope say for today?
- Ok Google, recipe for
- Ok Google, how is the moon today?
Advanced privacy and settings commands
- Ok Google, delete my last conversation.
- Ok Google, delete today's/week's/month's activity
- Hey Google, set up night mode. (lower volume, brightness and notifications at night)
- Ok Google, adjust the equalizer (set bass/treble)
- Ok Google, set male/female voice
Commands for communication, messages and calls
- Ok Google, call mom/dad/boss/boyfriend
- Ok Google, send a WhatsApp/SMS to and tell him
- Ok Google, send an email to and tell him
- Ok Google, start a video call with (depending on supported services, e.g. Google Duo)
- Ok Google, announce / diffuse – Send a voice message to all Google Home devices in the house
- Ok Google, find my phone – Ring your phone, even if it's on silent.
Custom routine commands and automations
The Routines They are used to group several actions under a single command, for example, saying “good night” can turn off lights, lower blinds, set an alarm and deactivate mobile notifications:
- Ok Google, create a routine
- Ok Google, activate the routine
- Ok Google, automate your home at 22:00 PM
These routines can be configured in the Google Home app and you can combine smart home actions, multimedia, alarms, messages, etc. For more advanced management, check out How to control Google devices with Gemini.
Commands for education, children and productivity
- Ok Google, how to spell it?
- Ok Google, help with math/chemistry/history homework.
- Ok Google, repeat after me.
- Ok Google, read a story for children
- Ok Google, turn off the tablet in an hour
Fun, curious, and ice-breaking commands
- Ok Google, I am your father
- Ok Google, make me a sandwich.
- Hey Google, did you fart?
- Ok Google, it's my birthday / not my birthday
- Ok Google, do you like Star Trek or Star Wars more?
- Ok Google, do you have a soul?
- Ok Google, what does the fox say?
- Okay Google, do you want to hurt me?
- Ok Google, can you rap?
- Hey Google, what's your favorite emoji?
- Ok Google, why did the chicken cross the road?
- Ok Google, say a bad word
- Ok Google, are you lying?
- Ok Google, testing
- Ok Google, high five
- Ok Google, what is love?
- Hey Google, tell me something about Alexa/Siri.
- Ok Google, clean my room
- Ok Google, what is your favorite color?
- Ok Google, where are you from?
- Ok Google, are you a robot?
- Ok Google, are you speaking Morse code?
- Ok Google, do you have any pets?
- Ok Google, say the alphabet
- Ok Google, how are you going to celebrate Halloween?
- Ok Google, Boo!
- Ok Google, do you know any scary stories?
Custom commands for names and relationships
- Ok Google, my mother/father is called
- Ok Google, my boss is called
- Ok Google, my boyfriend/girlfriend is called
- Ok Google, it's my mother/father
- Ok Google, I want you to call me.
- Ok Google, my dog's name is
Useful commands to clean and free up Google Assistant memory
- Ok Google, delete my last order
- Ok Google, delete everything I've told you this week.
- Ok Google, forget all my activity.
Extra features and advanced control
- Hey Google, what can you do? – Ask the assistant for suggestions on new features.
- Ok Google, set up two languages simultaneously – Maintain flexibility between two languages.
- Ok Google, change temperature units to Fahrenheit/Celsius – Personalize your experience with local units.
- Hey Google, adjust the device brightness.
- Ok Google, control multiple user accounts and recognize different voices
- Hey Google, link new music/video sources and services.
- Ok Google, connect Bluetooth devices
- Ok Google, put on night mode
- Ok Google, adjust the equalizer
Advanced tips and tricks for Google Home and Assistant
- Try combinations of commands and synonyms: Google learns from your natural language and recognizes different ways of requesting the same thing.
- Explore hidden games and activities: Say “I’m bored,” “I want to play,” “Surprise me,” or try out Easter eggs from pop culture, movies, and TV.
- Have Google Home recognize multiple voices: To customize responses, calendar, music, and control shared devices, add all users' voice patterns from the app.
- Set up routines to automate your home: So, with just one command you can manage several tasks at once (for example, "I'm leaving home" to turn off lights, lower blinds and activate the alarm).
- Update the app and firmware regularly: Google is constantly adding new and useful features and commands.
- Check home automation compatibility: Check the official list of compatible products and brands before purchasing new smart devices.
- Use the privacy commands: Delete your conversations, manage your activity, and adjust your privacy from the app or with voice commands.
- Control your mobile by voice: Turn Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flashlight, do not disturb mode and more on/off with simple commands.
More useful commands and interesting facts about the Google Assistant
- What's on my screen? – Google reads the active content on your mobile screen.
- How many days left until ? – Perfect for counting down the days until vacations, birthdays, sporting events…
- What noise does a ? – Google plays sounds of animals and objects.
- What is the longest/hardest/word in English? – Test your linguistic curiosity.
- Recipe of – Receive step-by-step recipe instructions.
- Repeat after me – Useful for practicing languages.
- What movies are playing at the cinema? – Check the movie listings and showtimes at nearby theaters.
- What time does he play? – Updated sports calendar.
Frequently asked questions about Google Home and useful commands
- Can I customize the commands? – Yes, you can create routines, change nicknames, modify device names, and add aliases for added convenience.
- Is it necessary to have subscriptions to use all the commands? – For music, video, or home automation, some services require a subscription (Spotify, Netflix, etc.), but many features are free.
- Does Google Home work without Internet? – Only some basic local functions work offline. Almost all commands require internet/Wi-Fi.
- Can I link assistants from other brands? – Google Assistant integrates with many brands, but not directly with Alexa or Siri.
- How to improve voice understanding? – Set up individual voice recognition, speak clearly, and check the language settings in the app.
The integration and customization of Google Home and Google Assistant grow every day, allowing your home and your devices to become increasingly smarter. Thanks to hundreds of useful, advanced, and even fun commands, you have complete control of your environment, from the everyday to the extraordinary. Whether you're looking to optimize your daily tasks, enjoy multimedia entertainment, learn languages, control your smart devices, play games, or simply chat and have fun, Google Home and its Assistant are the perfect partner. Explore and try the different commands presented here, and customize your experience to get the most out of artificial intelligence at the service of your home.
