Google Home Guides

Google Home was designed for mainstream users. Most owners will find it is easy to set up Google Home.

Actually, you can set up Google Home from a PC or any mobile devices that can run Google Home app.

In this guide, I will show you the steps involved to set up Google Home with Google Home app which is available in Android and iOS devices.

The setup process for Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Google Home max is identical. This guide applies to all Google Home devices released so far: Google Home, Google Home Mini and Google Home Max.

When do you need to set up Google Home?

You have to set up Google Home:

• when you get a new Google Home.
• after a factory data reset for Google Home.
• if you changed your wireless network.
• if Google Home cannot connect to the wireless network. You can find the status in the LED light colors in the top touch panel.

Please note, if a Google Home is working properly, you can change the WiFi network (if both old and new networks are available).

The setup option only appears when Google Home cannot connect to … Read the rest

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How is Google Home named?

When you set up Google Home, the app asks you to specify the location/room of the Google Home device.

By default, your Google Home will be named as XXX room Home.

Most Google Home owners may be OK with the name. But some owners may want to rename Google Home so that the name of Google Home is more meaningful and personalized.

It is even more useful to rename Google Home devices if you have more than one Google Home device at home.

Anyway, it is easy to change the name of Google Home in Google Home app.

How to rename Google Home?

To rename Google Home (i.e., change name of  Google Home), you can follow these steps.

Step 1:  make sure Google Home is connected to internet

You can change Google Home name (rename Google Home) only when Google Home is connected to internet.

If there are any issues with Google Home, you can check the LED light colors in the top touch panel in Google Home device.

Step 2: Start Google Home app

From any of your mobile devices which are connected to the same WiFi network as the Google Home … 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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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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You need to understand the layout of the Nest Hub (including Nest Hub 2nd Gen and Google Hoem Hub) to use the smart display effectively.

This Google Home guide explains the layout of Nest Hub, the function and usage of each part of the smart display to help you get started quickly with your Google Nest Hub.

Because the layout of Nest Hub, Nest Hub 2nd  Gen, and Google Home Hub is identical, this guide applies to all of these 3 Google smart display devices.

Why do you need to know the layout of Nest Hub?

Although you interact with Google Home Hub, Google Nest Hub, and Nest Hub 2nd Gen mainly through voice commands (Google Assistant) and the touchscreen, you may still need to use some buttons, for example,  to mute the microphone, to reset Nest Hub.

Also, if you know the location of the sensors, you may have a better understanding of some issues you may encounter due to blocked sensors.

Anyway, a smart display can work for you for at least a few years. You should spend a few minutes understanding the layout of Nest Hub. It will pay off soon.

Are there any differences in the

… Read the rest

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Why you need to customize Google Home settings?

After settings up Google Home, you can start to use it immediately.

But you may not know you can customize Google Home settings to meet your needs and to get more from your Google Home.

All customization for Google Home settings can (and must) be done through Google Home app.

In this guide, I will show you how to customize Google Home settings (and Google Assistant settings), and what the options are for all Google Home devices and what are for individual Google Home devices.

What are the options to customize Google Home settings?

Google Home is actually powered by Google Assistant as explained in this page.

So, to customize Google Home settings, you have the following two options to:

• customize Google Assistant, which is tied to your Google account for all Google Home devices.
• customize Google Home (and Google Assistant) settings for individual Google Home device.

These two options to customize Google Home settings work to compliment each other, both from Google Home app.

Some Google Assistant settings and customization will affect all your Google Home devices using Google Assistant.

This means if you have more than one Google … Read the rest

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Google allows you to adjust the equalizer (EQ) of Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Google Home Max with the Google Home app.

You can boost or cut the bass and treble for your Google Home devices to get desired audio effects.

This Google Home guide explains what an equalizer is, when you may want to adjust the equalizer of Google Home, Google Home Mini (including Google Nest Mini),  and Google Home Max, and how to adjust the EQ for your Google Home devices.

What is equalizer (EQ)?

In a nutshell, an equalizer boosts or cuts specific ranges of the frequency of your audio without distorting it.

For example, when you use an equalizer to boost the bass (low-frequency range), the low-frequency audio signal becomes louder. A good equalizer will deliver the desired loudness of the bass. At the same time,  the change of the loudness keeps smooth so that the audio is not distorted (i.e., unbalanced).

When speakers or headphones leave factories, the manufacturer usually tunes the hardware so that the best audio quality can be achieved for most users.

High quality usually means balanced responses of all frequencies. Some audiophiles can tell you immediately whether the audio … Read the rest

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After 4 years, Google finally updated the iconical cylindrical Google Home with a bigger and lounder Nest Audio in 2020.  So, the question for many existing users of Google Home is the comparison of Nest Audio vs Google Home

This Google Home guide explains the new features and improvements of Nest Audio vs Google Home to help you understand whether you should “upgrade” your Google Home, or whether Nest Audio is the right smart speaker for you.

The comparison of Nest Audio and Google Nest Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen) is covered in this post (coming soon).

Before we explore the new features and improvements of Nest Audio (vs Google Home), let’s check what has not been changed (i.e., the shared features).

Nest Audio vs Google Home: what are NOT changed?

As a successor to Google Home, Nest Audio share some identical or similar features with its predecessor. This part highlights the common features of these two smart speakers.

Similar software

Both Google Home and Nest Audio share a similar software package. Google Assistant works in an identical way.

The setup and customization are also almost identical. This means existing owners of Google Home will have nothing … 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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You can control Nest Audio with the touch control panel or your voice (Google Assistant).

This Google Home guide explains the functions of the touch control panel and the available switches/buttons on Nest Audio, and then show you how to control Nest Audio for specific tasks including adjusting Nest Audio volume, powering on and off Nest Audio, controlling media play on Nest Audio.

Control Nest Audio with the touch control panel

As explained in the Nest Audio layout, there is a touch control panel near the top of the front side of the Nest Audio speaker.

Just like the touch control panel on Google Home Mini (and Nest Home Mini), the touch panel is divided into 3 sections:

• Left.
• Centre.
• Right.

The left side of the touch control panel

As shown in the picture below, you can tap the left side of the touch panel to lower the volume (by 5%).

When you tap once, you will hear a click sound as feedback, and the LED lights up indicating current volume level (relative). Of course, the volume will lower a bit at the same time. You may need to tap up to 20 times to silence Nest Audio.… Read the rest

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