Google Home is a smart speaker that is coming from the house of the eponymous search giant named Google. The device has appeared on the market at the perfect time because smart speakers are in trend all over the world.

Google has already become a household brand through its assortment of quality products and services has jumped into the smart speakers’ niche. Google Home is a smart speaker that is designed as a vehicle for Google Assistant, which is a voice-activated virtual assistant that works when it is connected to the internet.

Google Voice Assistant available in Google Home is the same as that available in Google Pixel and Android smartphones. Google Home being a smart device always listens to its environment, but it doesn’t record everything ore respond to your commands because it needs a wake word to operate.

There are two wake words that you can say to wake the device, and those are ‘OK, Google’ or ‘Hey, Google’. A highly responsive and accurate device, Google Home is the solution for all your day-to-day tasks that used to give you a lot of frustration.

Tasks like, switching fans and lights, booking tickets for movies, trains, and flights, create shopping lists, book cabs, and other similar tasks. Google Home is an apt smart speaker that is going to perfectly blend with the aesthetics of your house.

Some other highlights of Google Home include:

1. Broadcasting: You can easily broadcast your message throughout the house using Google Home. If you have multiple smart speakers installed in your house, then you need to make an announcement to your Google Home and that announcement will be played on all smart speakers that are connected to Google Home in your house.

2. Recipe Assistance: If you have been asked to cook food for your family and friends, then Google Home can assist you with that. You can get step-by-step instructions instead of flipping pages back and forth frequently.

3. Calling: When it comes to a hands-free calling, Google Home is the device to look forward to. Google Home allows you to make phone calls without actually touching the phone. But, calling on 3^rd-party speakers will not be possible.

4. Multiple Commands: Google Home is a smart speaker, the indication of which you can get by issuing two commands to the device in sequence. Google Home will fulfill those commands in the same pattern in which those were given.

5. Night Mode: Google Home is a shrewd device that is going to lower the volume of music streaming and vocal responses automatically at specific times of the day .

6. Routines: You have the ability to customize Google Home so that it responds to your certain commands such as ‘Good Morning’ or ‘I’m leaving’ in various ways including notifying you about the latest news, commute and controlling all compatible smart home devices installed in your house.

How To Setup Google Home and Google Home Mini?

The niche of smart speakers is, in fact, the latest one that has been tapped by Google. In order to ‘Set up my Google Home device, you need to follow specific steps, which is going to be discussed in this section in detail.

1. Plug in your Google Home

Connect Google Home to the wall power outlet, and wait until you see a light flashing on the device. A light appearing on the device means Google Home has started looking for your phone. There isn’t any off/on button on the device, so as long as it is plugged into the power outlet. The phone needs to be within the proximity of the device.

2. Download Google Home app from the app store of your smartphone

Google Home app is available on both, Google Play Store as well as Apple App Store. Accept the terms of service followed by agreeing to turn on location permissions. Google is going to spy on you, and it will be able to determine your location as well, but then, the service provided by Google is going to be extremely accurate. Make sure that you are connected to the home Wi-Fi network, as your smartphone will pass all the information to Google Home.

3. Sign in with your Google account

To access all the features of Google Home, you will have to sign in with your Google account. A Gmail address will work perfectly for the purpose. If you don’t have a Gmail account, then create one, it’s super easy!

4. Don’t allow email notifications

In order to avoid spam getting into your email account, you need to disallow email notifications.

5. Tap ‘setup’ icon

After signing into Google Home app using a Gmail account, you need to set the location of your Google Home hardware. With this, you will be able to get information related to local weather and commute times. This can be done by tapping the ‘setup’ icon that is given in the upper right corner of the app.

6. Link your music service

Google Home supports four music services which are; YouTube, Google Play Music, Pandora, and Spotify. To use Google Play Music and Spotify to their full potential, you need a premium account for both services. Having premium accounts will allow you to request songs and albums as per your preferences. Free services will only allow you to listen to artist mixes or themed stations. Google Home will not be able to get access to the music libraries you have subscribed to.

7. Step through the tutorial

To know how to use Google Home, you can go through the free tutorial and ask fun things from the device.

8. Tap ‘left-hand menu’ button followed by ‘More’ Settings

You can set up some optional features on Google Home. You can set up those through the menu by tapping ‘three-line icon’ that you can find in the upper left-hand corner. Tap ‘More’ settings to go through the entire list of features that you need to add.

9. Change ‘My Day’ and ‘News’ settings

Google Home responds to personalized commands in a beautiful manner. You can ask ‘tell me about my day’ or ‘listen to the news’, and you will get a customized information from Google Home. Tap ‘News’ followed by tapping ‘Customize’ allows you to change your news sources. When you tap ‘My Day’, then you can change a number of options in the daily briefing.

10. Change what Google Home calls you

You can change personal information such as your nickname and how Google Home calls you by scrolling all the way down, then choosing ‘Personal Info’ followed by ‘Nickname’. If you want Google Home assistant to call you ‘Boss’, then you can customize settings accordingly.

11. Enter your commute locations

To receive accurate commute times from Google Home, go to ‘Personal Info’ and under it, choose ‘Home & Work Locations’. Type in the address of your home and office, and then ask the device ‘how long is my commute’.

12. Add home electronics

Google Home can be connected to a wide range of devices that you have installed in your house such as, Google Chromecast, Philips Hue Lightbulbs, Samsung SmartThings and Nest Thermostats. In order to make a connection, tap ‘Home Control’, but the connection is only possible when Google Home and the device that you wish to connect with it is on the same wireless network.

13. Add Chromecast Devices

Google Home can control your TV if you are using Google Chromecast for streaming or a Chromecast-compatible TV. Plug Google Chromecast into the TV and switch to the correct input. When Chromecast tells you on the TV to change to Google Home app, then tap the ‘Devices’ icon given at the upper right corner of the main screen to google home setup Chromecast. Use the same Google account that you are using for Google Home. Now, you can use your voice to control music, videos and photo services provided Google Home support those.

14. Control Google Home by voice and touch

Google Home empowers you to think about things that you can ask from it. If you have no idea what to ask from Google Home, then simply tap ‘menu’ button on the upper left corner and choose ‘What can you do?’ Google Home will present you with some great suggestions. To increase or decrease the volume of a song or video, make a dialing motion on the top surface of Google Home or say ‘OK Google, Volume’ along with the number that you want to set the volume at.

Interestingly, the process of Google Home Mini Setup is exactly the same as that of Google Home, so if you have bought the mini version of this amazing smart voice assistant, then follow the same procedure to set it up.

When the set up concludes, you are all set to use the device to its full potential. But, there are several situations that could cause impediments while using Google Home, and in this section, the focus will be on those.

1. Google Home not working despite correct connections.

2. Unable to connect Google Home to Wi-Fi network.

3. Unable to activate Google Voice.

4. Google Home seems to be non-responsive.

5. Google Home responding even without speaking the wake word.

6. Music can’t be played on Google Home.

7. Google Home providing information of a wrong location even when the location is turned on.

8. Unable to connect Google Home with Google Home app.

9. Google Home not connecting with Google Chromecast.

10. Google Home Mini not working.

11. Unable to control the smart lighting system with Google Home.

12. Spotify not working on Google Home.

13. Google Home not responding to wake word, i.e., ‘OK, Google’.

14. Google Home microphone not working.

15. Google Home power status light not flashing.

Google Home Support To Fix Google Home Setup Issues!

These were some common issues experienced by Google Home users, but the issues are not confined to these, as any problem could arise in Google Home any time. A device like Google Home makes people dependent on itself, but then, things start going in the wrong direction as the device begins to encounter issues, thus creating a lot of inconvenience for the people.

To make sure that the inconvenience doesn’t stay for too long, a fast and reliable Google Home help is what they need. Call the experts to resolve issues sprouting in Google Home and its Mini version.