How to Set Up and Use Routines in Google Assistant

This step-by-step guide explains how to set up and use routines in Google assistant. It covers the required setup, the main actions, and the checks that help prevent common problems.

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Routines Can and Cannot Do What?

Under the assumption, you can add any activity to a Routines, but Routines' operation is quite limited.

You can only use 6 predefined Routines including:

Good morning (When waking up)
Bedtime (At bedtime)
Leaving home (When not home)
I'm home (At home)
Commuting to work (Time to work)
Commuting home (At home)

Each Routines provides a set of options, and this set of options will depend on specific Routines. Here are the options for each Routines.

Good morning
- Turn off silent mode (Android) and turn on the ringing sound and media.
- Adjust light, temperature and other adjustments.
- Notify you about weather, travel routes, work schedules and reminders.
- Open music, news, radio, or open podcasts, audio books from the section you stopped.
Bedtime
- Open the silent mode of the phone (Android).
- Notify you of tomorrow's weather and the first schedule of the day.
- Set alarm.
- Adjust light, temperature, and other adjustments.
- Adjust media volume.
- Play music with the timer, or sleep sounds (sound sleepy, make sleeping easier).
Leaving Home
- Adjust lighting, heat, and other adjustments.
I'm Home
- Adjust lighting, heat, and other adjustments.
- Notify Google Homes that you are at home.
- Alert for location reminders (location reminders) of current location.
- Adjust media volume.
- Open music, news, radios, podcasts, audiobooks.
Commuting to Work (Android / iOS only)
- Notifications tell you about travel routes, weather, calendar events and reminders.
- Adjust lighting, plugs, temperature and other adjustments.
- Adjust media volume.
- Open music, news, radio or podcasts.
Commuting Home (Android / iOS only)
- Notify you of the travel route.
- Adjust lighting, plugs, temperature and other adjustments.
- Send Message.
- Read new messages.
- Notify Google Home that you are on your way home.
- Adjust media volume.
- Open music, news, radio or podcasts.

You can turn each activity on or off individually.

How to Set Up and Use Routines?

Currently, there are only "Good Morning" Routines available, but in the coming time, Google Assistant will update new Routines. The way to set up and use ruotine is the same, so you can do it with all the remaining Routines.

Start by opening the Google Home app on your phone (Android, iOS) and open the menu. From there, select " More Settings ".

Scroll down a bit and then tap the " Routines " setting.

Tap the Routines available for editing.

You can start by customizing the phrase you will say to enable Routines. For example, with Routines "Good Morning", you can use 'good morning' phrases, 'tell me about my day', or 'I'm up'. Very simple.

Next, you'll set up commands for Routines. Options allow you to tick or uncheck a selection. With serrated wheel-shaped commands, you can make more customizations. Just tap the jagged icon and discover them.

For example, the "Adjust lights, plugs, and more" options provide options for each available smart device connected to your Assistant.

Below this list of basic options, you will find the " And Then Play " section, which allows you to select the default play at the end of Routines. Select the option you want, then tap the right jag icon to further customize. For example, with the "Music" option, you can select specific playlists, songs, or artists.

Similarly, with the News option, you can select the news source you want to hear. The podcast option can continue the podcast you're listening to or start a new podcast of your choice.

Currently, Routines are much different. But it seems that Google is interested in it and selects the most common and useful adjustments. Hopefully next time there will be more options and make this feature useful to users.