Google Home Guides

Google Home is a smart and connected  speaker powered by Google Assistant, which is a new version of Google Now.

Or, you can see Google Home is a voice-activated personal assistant. You can dictate it just using your voice.

Some owners may consider Google Home as a Chromecast Audio with a built-in speaker.

The direct competitor of Google Home is Amazon Echo.  If you are an Echo user, you can just imagine Google Home is a similar device with a smarter brain.

Anyway, Google Home can be a quite different device if you look at it with different perspectives.

This page will try to explain to you what is Google Home from 3 perspectives.

Google Home as a connected speaker

On the surface, Google Home is a speaker that always connects to internet.

So, in this sense, Google Home is similar to Chromecast audio + speaker. Actually, Google Home can be used as Chromecast audio: whenever you want to cast to Chromecast audio, you can cast to Google Home.

The difference between Google Home and Chromecast audio is obvious: Chromecast audio requires a speaker. And you can use 3 types of audio cables to connect Chromecast to … Read the rest

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If you want to change the volume for your Google Home, you may not know actually there are 3 different methods to change Google Home volume: use the touch panel, use your voice, and use the Google Home app.

The result is identical, regardless of the method you choose.

In addition to adjusting Google Home volume, this guide also shows you 4 methods to silence Google Home and how to resume the media playing.

Please note, the 3 methods introduced in this guide apply to media sound and Google assistant. If you want to adjust the volume for alarms and timers, you have to use the Google Home app, as explained in this guide.

These three methods apply to all Google Home speakers, including Google Home, Google Home Mini, Google Home Max,  Google Nest Mini (2nd Gen of Google Home Mini), and Nest Audio.

If you paired two Google Home speakers and are using the speaker pair, the volume settings will be applied to both speakers automatically.

Method 1: use touch panel to change Google Home volume

As explained in Google Home layout and buttons page, you can control Google Home with the top … Read the rest

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You need to know the Nest Audio layout and understand the functions of each part if you want to use the device effectively.

This Google Home guide explains the contents in the Nest Audio box, Nest Audio layout and functions of each part to help you get started with the Nest Audio. A few questions you may have on the layout of Nest Audio were answered as well.

As explained in this page, Nest Audio is a successor of Google Home, not a competitor to Google Home.  Google acquired the Nest brand and has used it for smart home products.

Contents in Nest Audio box

In your Nest Audio box, you can find:

• Nest Audio device.
• Power adaptor with non-detachable cable.
• Documentation bundle.

Nest Audio is the main part, of course. It is far heavier than Google Home.

The power adapter and the jack are proprietary, unfortunately. So, do not lose or damage the cable and adapter. Google is not selling spare ones. There are no third-party power adapters for it yet. In fact, among all Google smart speakers, only the 1st gen Google Home Mini used a 5v/1.8A USB power adapter.

There is a … Read the rest

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In Google I/O 2017, Google Home Mini and Google Home Max were introduced to the Google Home family.

So, there are 3 products under the Google Home line: Home, Mini and Max.

Google Home Mini was released in October 2017. Google Home Max will be released in December 2017.

So, many potential Google Home users are wondering the difference between Google Home Mini and Google Home. They need some recommendation on whether they should get a Google Home or a Google Home Mini.

This Google Home Mini guide tries to explain the difference between Google Home and Google Home Mini to help you decide whether you should get Google Home or Google Home Mini.

Please note, the second generation of Google Home was released as Nest Audio, and the 2nd Gen Google Home Mini as Nest Mini.

Google Home Mini vs Google Home: size matters

As suggested by the name, Google Home Mini is a mini version of Google Home.

The size of Google Home Mini is substantially smaller than Google Home.  The height of Google Home Mini is only about 42 mm (1.65 inches). In comparison, Google Home is about 142.8 mm (5.62 inches) high. The diameter … Read the rest

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You can reset Google Home Mini by holding the reset button in the bottom of Google Home Mini.

After factory data resetting of Google Home Mini, you can then set it up as a new Google Home device with Google Home App.

The way to reset Google Home Mini is different from that for Google Home.

In Google Home, you can hold the microphone button to reset Google Home. But in Google Home Mini,  microphone button was replaced with a microphone switch, and a reset button was added.

This Google Home Mini guide explains to you when you may need to reset Google Home Mini, how to reset Google Home Mini and how to check whether you reset Google Home Mini successfully.

For Google Home owners, please check this guide on how to reset it.

Please note, the 2nd gen of Google Home Mini (Google Nest Mini) does NOT have a reset button. You have to hold the touch panel to reset Google Nest Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen) as explained in detail in this guide.

So, this guide only applies to the 1st Gen Google Home Mini. It is not applicable to … Read the rest

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Nest Hub Max and Nest Hub 2nd Gen allow you to use Quick Gestures to control the media playing and dismiss alarms.

This Google Home guide explains what the quick gestures are, how to use them on Nest Hub 2nd Gen and Nest Hub Max, and the differences of this feature on Nest Hub 2nd Gen and Nest Hub Max.

Please note, this feature (quick gestures) is NOT available on Google Home Hub and Nest Hub 1st Gen.

What are quick gestures on Nest Hub?

Quick gestures let you control media, timers, and alarms on the 2nd Gen of Nest Hub or on Nest Hub Max, without using your voice or touching the screen.

In other words, with this feature,  you can use your hand gestures in the air to pause or resume media, dismiss timers, snooze or dismiss alarms.

On Nest Hub Max, you must turn on the camera to use the hand gesture.

Nest Hub 2nd Gen does not have a camera, as explained here. It uses the Soli sensor to detect your hand gestures and act accordingly.

Sometimes, quick gestures are referred to as “air gestures” because you actually wave your hands in the air. … Read the rest

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When you need to change Google Home WiFi network settings?

After setting up Google Home, normally you will not change WiFi settings although you may change other settings for Google Home.

Some Google Home settings can be done through voice command, or through the touch panel, or through Google Home app.

For example you can adjust volume of Google Home with any of the 3 methods.

Because Google Home can only save one WiFi network info, you may have to change Google WiFi network settings if you change your WiFi network.

Sometimes, you may have to factory data reset the Google Home due to WiFi network changes.

How to use a new router without changing Google Home WiFi network settings?

You can use a new router without changing Google Home WiFi network settings.

Some guides in the internet may mistakenly tell you that you must factory data reset Google Home if you change router.

But actually, it is NOT necessary to factory data reset your Google Home.

Actually, it is not necessary to change anything in Google Home if you follow these two rules:

1. Use the identical WiFi network name (SSID) when you set up the new

… Read the rest

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Although Google Home can do so many things after setting up Google Home, it only has one button.  Most of the controls are achieved through voice.

The touch panel and LED colour also play an important role in using Google Home.

This guide will show you Google Home layout, functions of individual parts and how to change the base of Google Home.

Please note, Google Home layout and buttons are different from those of Google Home Mini (including Google Nest Mini), Google Home Max, Nest Audio (2nd Gen Google Home).

For owners of Google Home Mini, please check Google Home Mini layout and buttons page. Google Nest Mini layout was explained in this guide, and Nest Audio layout in this guide.

Google Home layout: front and top view

Front and top view of Google Home is shown below.

In front of Google Home, actually, there is nothing.

In the top of Google Home, you can find:

• A touch panel.
• LED indicators (LED lights).
• Two microphones

A touch panel

The entire top surface of Google Home is a touch panel. You can swipe clockwise to increase the volume and anticlockwise to reduce the volume.

You can … Read the rest

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Nest Audio (released in 2019) is the successor of Google Home, which was released in 2016. And it is sometimes called the second generation of Google Home. Nest Audio guides are just for it!

Nest Audio and Google Home are substantially different: there are many improvements and a few new features, as explained in this guide.

So, many Nest Audio owners need some guides for the unique features on the device.  Of course, some Google Home guides, and even some Home Mini guides, apply to Nest Audio.

About Nest Audio Guides

Nest Audio guides explain the features and functions of Nest Audio and demonstrate how to use them with detailed step-by-step illustrations.

Some common features among Google Home, Google Home Mini, Google Nest Home Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen), and Nest Audio, are also listed so that you can find all guides you need for your Nest Audio.

All generations of Nest Audio are covered in this section. We will highlight the unique feature for each generation when applicable.

How to use Nest Audio guides?

Most of the Nest Audio guides include a very detailed explanation of the feature discussed so that you will not only know how … Read the rest

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In addition to using Google Home, Google Home Max and Google Home Mini as a Bluetooth speaker (for your mobile devices), you can also connect Google Home to a Bluetooth speaker so that you can route the audio output to the Bluetooth speaker.

All Google Home devices (Google Home, Google Home Mini, Google Nest Mini, Google Home Max) can now connect to a Bluetooth speaker and send audio output to the Bluetooth speakers. Although only Google Home is used in the text, the guide also applies to Google Home Mini (including the 2nd Gen of Google Home Mini) and Google Home Max.

This Google Home guide shows you how to use, set up and connect Google Home to a Bluetooth speaker.

What’s the difference between using Google Home as a Bluetooth speaker and connecting Google Home to a Bluetooth speaker?

When you use Google Home as a Bluetooth speaker, you can play media from your mobile device and hear the sound from the Google Home speaker.

The audio was transmitted to Google Home (or Google Home Mini, Google Home Max) using the Bluetooth connection between your mobile device and Google Home.

You may need this option when … Read the rest

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