Top 5 Ways You Can Use Your Smart Home Assistant

There are plenty of options when it comes to smart home assistants. From Amazon to Google (sorry, we can’t find one that starts with a Z), there’s something out there for everyone. They all work differently, but there are at least five really cool ways you can use your smart assistant to make life easier and have fun in the process.

1. Good Morning and Turn Down Service

If you say, “Hey Google, good morning,” the Google Home Hub will give you the highlights of your day. Not only will you hear weather and traffic conditions, but you’ll have a snapshot of your calendar so you don’t forget any important meetings.

Beyond that, you’ll see any reminders you have set, like picking up milk on the way home or calling a plumber to fix the toilet. Get your day started off on the right foot with your assistant so it goes a lot smoother.

After your brilliant day, thanks to your smart home assistant, say, “Hey Google, good night,” and she’ll turn off the lights, shut off the TV, lock the doors, and set the alarm. Assuming you have all of those smart devices connected, of course.

2. Radio, Music, and Fun

You can tune into any radio station that streams their programming online by asking your smart assistant to play that station. It doesn’t even have to be a local station, because, you know, it’s online.

If you have music streaming services like Spotify or Pandora, tell your smart home assistant to play any song you want to listen to, and it’ll begin a playlist with that song, and other similar songs you may like.

If you’re into more than just background music, you can have fun with your smart assistant with commands like:

• What does a reindeer sound like?
• Make me a sandwich.
• Who do you think will win the Super Bowl this year?
• “You’re beautiful” or “I love you.”
• Surely you can’t be serious.
• Tell me a “yo mama” joke.

You can also check out some of the funny things you can ask Google Home and Alexa. Every assistant responds to commands in a unique way. While they will all respond to these commands, answers will vary. Try it to see if your smart home assistant makes you laugh. For example, if you say to Alexa, “I have 99 problems,” she will respond, “But a glitch ain’t one.” However, Google won’t think you’re very funny.

3. A Kitchen Timer

When your hands are full in the kitchen, sometimes it’s nice to be able to set a timer for your oven without having to touch anything. There’s nothing worse than tossing something in the oven and then having to the timer on your range or microwave just to keep track of the baking time.

Instead, set named timers on your assistant with simple commands like, “Set a cookie timer for 11 minutes.”

Now what happens when you have cookies in the oven and you need to set a timer for your tea steeping on the stove? Easy! Just set another timer. Most smart home assistants can handle more than one timer at once, and it’s much easier if you name them.

Now say, “Set a tea timer for 3 minutes.” When your timer goes off, your smart home assistant will be able to differentiate between your timers so you don’t have to remember what each timer was for.

You can also manage your timers by saying things like, “How much time is left on my pizza timer” or “Cancel my game timer.”

Now, just for fun, ask Google if she knows the muffin man.

4. Your Teaching Assistant

Kids are curious. But the beauty of a smart home assistant is that no longer are the incessant questions directed at you. Defer to Google and you won’t have to be a bottomless pit of knowledge anymore.

Your smart home assistant can help with things like, “How fast is a cheetah,” or “How far away is the sun?”

Most smart home assistants also know how to play games like Rock-Paper-Scissors and 20 Questions. See if your kids can stump her. It’s harder than you think.

Your smart home assistant can also translate in real time, so if you say, “Translate to Spanish” and then continue to speak, your smart home assistant will keep up.

5. Drive Hands Free

Just as technology can be detrimental to your driving habits, it can also save them. Instead of being distracted, use voice commands while you’re in the car so you don’t have to take your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road.

Smart assistants on your phone can text, call, pull up directions, and much more, so you don’t have to fiddle with it.

The Verdict

While every smart home assistant is different, they can help you with many of the same things in their own way. To learn more about your smart home assistant of choice, do some research to see what it’s capable of. You’ll be surprised with all of the things you can do to make your life easier.