Google Assistant just got a lot better at controlling your smart home... in the US

[sincity]

If you’re a fan of Google Assistant, today is a good day. Google has now launched Routines in the US. 

Much like Scenes from Amazon or in the Apple HomeKit ecosystem, Routines allows you to group a number of actions together, so you don’t have to individually activate each of your smart home devices, ask for updates, and more. 

At present there’s only one Routine that’s live – Good Morning – but there is a roster of six different routines on the Google Routines page, so we know there are more to come, and from talking to a Google representative it looks like they’ll be coming in the next few days. 

Putting you in the driving seat

Good Morning replaces My Day (which is still available in the UK and Australia) which gave you updates about weather, traffic, news, and your calendar. Good Morning adds the ability to turn on lights, adjust thermostats, and more. It can even take your phone off silent mode if activated using an Android phone. 

The additional modes are for leaving the house and arriving home, commuting to and from work, and going to bed. They are called Leaving Home, I’m Home, Commuting to Work, Commuting Home, and Bedtime. No prizes for originality then. 

The skills include the ability to play music, control smart devices, set alarms, even send text messages.  What's cool is that because Google Assistant can distinguish between voices (unlike Siri on the HomePod), individual users can have personalized Routines.

There’s no news yet on when Routines is going to be launching in other countries, but hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later. 

• Want to see if Google Home is the right smart speaker for you? Check out: Google Home review

Via Android Police

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/s30Fez2d3wE