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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What is factory data reset Google Home?

Factory data reset Google Home means you let Google Home roll back to a state that is identical to a new Google Home.

This state is usually referred to factory state (a state when Google Home leaves factory)

This means when you factory data reset Google Home, all settings, including linked account and connected devices are unlinked and disconnected.

In addition, your Google account associated with the Google Home device will also be disassociated.

Once the data are removed, you cannot undo it to recover any of them. You have to set up Google Home as a new device after a factory data reset (FDR).

When you need to factory data reset Google Home?

Of course, you should not consider to reset Google Home if it works normally.

However, you may have to factory data reset Google Home in following scenarios:

• the initial Google Home setup ends prematurely and it seems you cannot finish the setup process.
• you want to use Google Home in a new WiFi network.
• Google Home does not work. You may check the color of LEDs in the top touch panel.
• you plan to give away your Google

… 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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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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What are Google Home promotional offers?

Google, like other companies, usually have some promotional offers when a new product is launched, or during some special seasons (e.g., holiday seasons).

For example, Chromecast owners enjoyed various Chromecast offers in the past varying from free movie rental to Play store gift card, to a few months of free Netflix in a few regions.

Even better, for Chromecast and Chromecast Audio owners, some new offers are also available for old devices. This is different from other companies.

Google Home is not an exception, I guess.

You may not be aware that there may be some Google Home promotional offers waiting for you.

Like other promotions, there are always terms and conditions associated with such offers. You need to redeem the Google Home offers in the specified period.

And, most importantly, most Google Home offers may be region-specific.

So, it is important to know how to check and redeem Google Home promotional offers.

Please note, Google Home promotional offers are tied to individual device. But some offers may allow you to redeem only once (e.g., Netflix, Google Play music or YouTube Red) even if you have multiple eligible devices.

In addition, some vendors … Read the rest

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As explained in this page, Google Nest Mini (aka Google Home Mini 2nd Gen) does not have a reset button (as in the 1st Gen of Google Home Mini) to factory data reset the speaker.

So, you have to use a different method to reset the Google Nest Mini (Home Mini 2nd Gen), other than using the reset button as for Google Home Mini (1st Gen).

This Google Home Mini guide shows you steps to reset Google Nest Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen) and answers questions you may have on resettings the 2nd Gen of Google Home Mini.

If you own the first Gen of Google Home Mini (without the wall-mounting hole in the bottom), you should have a reset button on the bottom and therefore you should follow this guide.

For Google Home speaker, please check this guide on how to factory data reset it.

Steps to reset Google Nest Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen)

Please note, these steps are only for Google Nest Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen).

Step 1: Turn off the microphone

As explained in the Google Nest Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen) layout, there is a … Read the rest

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You can understand the status of Google Home by checking the LED lights (and colours).

This Google Home guide explains why you should know the meaning of Google Home LED lights and the exact meaning (and possible implications) of all LED lights pattern on Google Home.

Please note, due to the differences between Google Home vs Nest Audio (2nd gen Google Home) and Google Home vs Google Home Mini (and Google Nest Mini), the LED lights on Google Home are different from other Google Home speakers. So, this guide applies to Google Home (1st Gen) only. You may check this guide on the meaning of Nest Audio LED lights, and this guide for the meaning of LED lights on Google Home Mini (and 2nd Gen Google Home Mini/ Google Nest Mini).

Why do you need to know the meaning of Google Home LED lights?

As mentioned in Google Home layout, Google Home only has one physical button to turn on/off the microphone,  or to factory data reset Google Home.

The touch panel in the top of Google Home plays a very important role in using and configuring Google Home.  And the LED lights (and their colours) give … Read the rest

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After recent firmware update, Google allows you to use Google Home as a Bluetooth speaker.

You can easily pair Google Home with your smartphones, tablets, or other devices through Bluetooth and then use Google Home as a Bluetooth speaker.  The audio will then be routed to Google Home.

Although Google Home is used in the text, this guide applies to all Google Home products including Google Home, Google Home Mini, Google Next Mini (Google Home Mini 2nd Gen), and Google Home Max.

Why may you want to use Google Home as a Bluetooth speaker?

Google Home and Google Home Max offer decent audio quality, compared to speakers with similar sizes.

Even Google Home Mini is surprisingly loud and clear considering its compact size.

Therefore, many Google Home users may want to use Google Home as a Bluetooth speaker when playing music on the phone.

After pairing Google Home to your phone, you may not need to buy a Bluetooth speaker. This would maximize your investment in Google Home, Google Home Max or even Google Home Mini.

And you can even adjust the bass and treble for Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Google Home Max as explained in this … Read the rest

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Like other Google Home speakers,  Nest Audio LED lights indicate the status or feedback of the speaker, and therefore you need to understand them if you want to use the smart speaker effectively.

This Google Home guide explains the meaning of Nest Audio LED lights to help you understand these lights and act properly to use the speaker as desired.

Where are Nest Audio LED lights?

As explained in the Nest Audio layout, there is a row of 4 hidden LED lights embedded in the middle of the front panel.

The fabric materials cover the whole front panel of the Nest Audio, including the LED lights. So, you cannot see these LED lights when they are not lit up.

As on other Google Home speakers (e.g., Google Home, Google Home Mini, and Nest Mini), the Nest Audio LED lights light up only when it wants to tell you something.

Please note, the 1st gen  Google Home has a colourful LED ring. All other Google Home speakers (Google Home Mini, Google Nest Mini, Google Home Max, and Nest Audio) have 4 LED lights in a row with white as the main colour.

Can I control or customise

… Read the rest

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Like Google Home, Google Home Mini and Google Home Max use LED lights on the top to indicate its status or operations. You need to understand the meaning of Google Home Mini LED lights to use the device properly.

Due to its form factor and design, Google Home Mini (including Google Nest Mini, aka 2nd gen of Google Home Mini) uses up to 4 LED lights on the top part of Google Home Mini.

The meaning and colour combinations of Google Home Mini LED lights are also different from those in Google Home.  But there are similar to LED lights in Google Home Max.

So, in this guide, although Google Home Mini is used in most situations, the guide applies to Google Home Max as well.

Please note, Google Home Mini and 2nd gen Google Home Mini (aka Google Nest Mini) share the identical LED lights.  So in this guide, Google Home Mini refers to both the 1st gen and 2nd gen of Google Home Minis.

Where are LED lights in Google Home Mini and Google Home Max?

There are 4 LED lights on the top of Google Home Mini as shown below.

For Google Home Max, the … Read the rest

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