Skip to main content

Google Assistant adds smart home bells and whistles in time for the holidays

Just in time for the holidays, Google Assistant is introducing a bunch of new smart home features, including the ability to reply to broadcast messages, create and use cookbooks, and access enhanced storybook content for kids.

Broadcast messages

Most of these enhancements work with Google Home Hub smart displays and/or Google Home Mini smart speakers. Google demonstrated them in a chic San Francisco home Tuesday outfitted with all manner of smart home hardware.

Recommended Videos

The most impressive demo involved the ability to turn a Google Assistant broadcast into a chat. The relatively new broadcast feature lets you use Google Assistant to transmit spoken messages to all Google Home-enabled speakers in your household, which then play them intercom-style. Now, a listener can reply by tapping a button on a display or simply talking to a speaker. The message is then transmitted to the original broadcaster.

Google Home Hub
Greg Mombert/Digital Trends

In the demo example, a person driving home from work could broadcast a message asking if their partner at home needed them to pick up something from a store. The home chef could respond with a grocery list and the rest of the conversation could proceed on the home device the responder used.

Sure, you could call or text the person, but they might not be near their mobile phone while cooking, and using a Google Home-enabled speaker might be more successful in making contact. Google says this feature will be rolled out to all its Home-enabled devices over the next few weeks.

Recommended recipes

Google Home Hub devices are getting a new Recommended Recipes card in their home display. This will bring up recipes you might want to try, based on those you’ve searched for in Google, as well as mealtime ( dinner, etc.) and season (Thanksgiving, summer, etc.). Recipe recommendations will be updated based on these criteria, and you’ll be able to bookmark ones you like in order to easily access them via Google Assistant.

Sadly, at launch only free web recipes are available — you can’t even type in your own, much less browse your favorites from paid services such as the New York Times’ excellent recipe app. Google says this may change going forward.

Google Assistant’s support for third-party electronics has also been beefed up on its smart displays. You can now control Panasonic, Roku, and LG TVs; Telstra set-top boxes; and Logitech Harmony universal remotes from the Home View screen.

Android phone users can check out the integration of Google Assistant Custom Routines into their device’s Clocks app. Routines lets you initiate multiple actions with a single Google Assistant command, and now Android users can create custom Routines tied to Clock alarms. In the demo, dismissing a Clock wake-up alarm triggered a routine that started a coffeemaker, turned on lights, and so on.

Google Assistant is also rolling out a do-not-disturb feature that will let you silence all supported smart speakers and phones with a spoken command.

A somewhat curious improvement has to do with playback of Google Assistant-supported podcasts and audiobooks: You can ask that they be speeded up (presumably to get through them more quickly). In the demo, when the Google employee asked for a podcast to be read twice as fast, the audio was all but unintelligible. However asking for the podcast to just play faster was more effective.

For the kids

Through its media partnerships, Google Assistant is adding a kid-oriented alarm feature that lets you create alerts delivered in the voices of popular animated characters, including denizens of Legoland and Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Mutant Ninja Turtles characters. These alarms will also feature signature jokes, music, and other related content.

Google Assistant’s recently announced Read Along storytelling feature provides sound effects and music to accompany parental readings of supported children’s books, and Google has added to the list a book called Ara the Star Engineer, a book written by female Google engineer Komal Sing with the goal of encouraging girls to consider STEM careers.

Thanks to Google Assistant’s speech -ecognition technology, Read Along can follow along with the storyteller and insert effects at the appropriate moments.

Alternatively, Google Assistant can do the reading: Just ask it to tell you a story. Google is adding 25 new Nickelodeon titles to its library in the next few weeks, including PAW Patrol’s The Pups Save the Bunnies, Dora the Explorer’s Dora’s Super Sleepover, and Blaze and Monster Machines’ Let’s Be Firefighters.

Google will also let parents create Google Assistant accounts for kids younger than 13 by linking up accounts created in the Family Link app for tracking kids’ online activity.

Children who get a Google Assistant account will be able to do most things adults can do with a few exceptions, most notably making purchases.

Denny Arar
Former Contributor
A longtime PC World/TechHive editor and contributor, Denny Arar (a.k.a. Yardena Arar) has also written for The New York…
Google’s Gemini AI can now control your smart home devices
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat in stainless steel.

After spending a bit of time in Public Preview, Google is rolling out its Google Home extension for the Gemini app to everyone. This will allow you to control smart home devices using Gemini, including tasks like turning on smart lights, checking your smart thermostat, or adjusting the volume on your speakers.

The Google Home Extension will be rolling out over the next few weeks, and once you've made the update, any compatible devices synced to your Google account will be accessible via Gemini. If you try using commands in the Gemini app that aren’t supported, your smartphone will automatically launch the Google Home app to complete the command (such as accessing camera actions and smart lock features).

Read more
Home Depot expands Hubspace smart home lineup at CES 2025
The Home Depot Hubspace logo on a white background.

Hubspace, Home Depot’s smart home platform, has seen impressive growth over the past few years, and that growth continued at CES 2025. Three new gadgets were revealed at the event, including a wireless power switch to control Hubspace products, a portable air conditioner, and a window-mounted air conditioner. All three are unique additions to the catalog -- and since there’s not much like them on the market, they should quickly become popular options in their respective niches.

The Hubspace Remote Switch is arguably the most useful of the three gadgets. Designed to look like a light switch, but with a removable remote controller, it works with select Hubspace light bulbs, fixtures, plugs, power sockets, surge protectors, and more. You’ll get standard on and off functions, plus access to brightness controls. Its sleek looks and versatility should make it a great choice for shoppers seeking an entry-level smart switch.

Read more
Should you invest in a smart home gym or stick with a gym membership?
Tonal Fitness Smart Mirror

Home gyms have come a long way over the past few years. Instead of a simple workout bench and some weights, you’ll now find smart home gyms that can provide custom workouts tailored to your needs. They can also track your stats, provide advice, showcase lessons, and even sync you with a larger community of users working with the same gear. However, many smart home gyms also require a subscription -- which can range from $15 to $50, making them an expensive proposition.

So, should you invest in a smart home gym or stick with a traditional gym membership? That’s not an easy question to answer, and the truth is that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Some folks might benefit from the ease of access offered by a smart home gym, while others might enjoy the motivation and socialization provided by a traditional gym.

Read more