How to Open the Google Home Settings
To set up Google Home speakers, use the Google Home app for Android or iOS.
How to Customize Google Home
Google Home settings categories are General, Google Assistant, Sound, and Device settings. The Google Assistant settings are global and will affect all of your smart speakers and other devices. General, Sound, and Device settings are specific to the Google Home chosen, so if you have two Google smart speakers, you can adjust them individually.
Linked account(s): Google Home depends on your Google account for many services, such as playing music from YouTube Music. You can change your connected Google account or even link another account, but first, you’ll need to add the other account to the Google Home app. Name: If you have multiple Google Home devices, it can be useful to give each a specific name to tell them apart quickly. Group: Want to play music on all of your smart speakers at once? Tap Group, then Create new group to place your current Google Home speaker in a group. Go to each device’s settings and put them in the same group; to play music on all of your devices, say, “Play Rock on [group name].” Wi-Fi: Your Google Home device interacts with your smartphone or tablet when on the same Wi-Fi network. If you move or get a new router, go into the Wi-Fi settings and select Forget This Network. Then the Google Home speaker will go into discovery mode and allow you to set it up again, just as you did when it was fresh out of the box. Equalizer: In the Sound settings are Google Home’s Equalizer settings. Google Home uses a simple EQ with just Bass and Treble settings. For playing music, a basic rule of thumb is to raise the bass and treble at a lower and mid-range volume that you might have in a home and lower the bass and treble when the volume is so loud it’s difficult to hear people. However, different types of music sound better with different EQ settings. Group delay correction: If you’ve placed multiple speakers in a group and they’re not in sync, use this setting to fix syncing issues. Default speaker: If you have multiple Google Home speakers, set one as the default for music and audio. If you set up a group of Google Home smart speakers, set the entire group as a default or a Bluetooth speaker. Default TV: If you happen to have multiple TVs set up to work with Google Home, set one as the default. Alarms & timers: If you’re using your Google Home Mini as an alarm clock, set the volume using this setting. To set the time, use a voice command, such as “Hey Google, wake me up at 7 AM.” Night mode: If you use Google Home as an alarm, Night mode can be your best friend. Night mode changes the brightness of the LED lights and lowers the notifications’ volume during a set time. Do not disturb: If you want to mute reminders and broadcast messages, turn on Do not disturb mode. Guest mode: If you have a friend over who wants to listen to a song that’s not in your library, use guest mode to cast to your Google Home speaker from their device. They’ll need to be on the same Wi-Fi network and use the four-digit PIN displayed in the settings. Accessibility: The accessibility settings allow you to force Google Home to play a sound when it starts listening for your voice and stops listening. Paired Bluetooth devices: If you’ve paired your Google Home smart speaker with other devices, access those settings here. Reverse device controls: Reverse the controls if the Google Home is mounted upside down. Lower volume when listening: By default, the audio volume will lower when interacting with the Google Assistant, but you can turn it off. Let others control your cast media: When casting audio, you can allow other Android devices to control the media. They’ll need to be on the same Wi-Fi network for this to work.
How to Customize Google Assistant in Settings
The Google Assistant settings are global, meaning they’ll affect all of your devices. You can change the default sources for music and news, and access your shopping list and other useful features.
Music: YouTube Music is the default source for music, but you can set this as Pandora, Deezer, or Spotify. You’ll need to link Pandora, Deezer, or Spotify to use those as the default source.Home control: Google Home can interact with compatible smart devices around your home, such as your doorbell, cameras, light bulbs, etc. Set up these devices under the Home control settings.Shopping list: A useful feature of Google Assistant is adding items to your shopping list by talking to your Google Home speaker. Access the shopping list from settings and add more things as needed.Voice Match: While not perfect, Voice Match attempts to recognize your specific voice. Once set up, Voice Match will keep personal information such as your calendar private when it doesn’t detect your voice speaking the voice commands.
The Music, Home control, Shopping list, and Voice Match controls are accessible from the first page of settings, but to set other features, such as where to get news or stock quotes, you’ll need to tap the More button in the Google Assistant settings block.
News: Don’t like the content you’re getting from Google Assistant? There are dozens of sources that can replace the defaults. Tap the X to remove a news source or tap the Add news sources button, then tick off the checkbox next to the sources you want to set as a default.Routines: Perhaps the most powerful tool in Google Assistant’s arsenal is routines. A routine lets you link several commands with a specific keyword, such as “Good morning,” reading you the news, and giving you traffic updates for your commute. Edit Routines in this section, and add new Routines by tapping the circular blue plus button in the lower-left corner.
Voice and Video calls: Want to use your Google Home Mini or Home Max as a speakerphone? Connect Google Assistant to Google Voice, Project Fi, or your actual phone number. Calendar: If you have multiple Google accounts, choose a default Google Calendar for marking events and setting up meetings. Stocks: You can follow specific stocks via Google. Tap this link to go to Google’s Finance section in a web browser.
How to Set Up Parental Controls on Your Google Home
Parental Controls are a part of Google’s Family Link program. This program allows you to set up a Google account for kids and link them within a family group. You can grant specific permissions, which carry over to devices such as the Google Home smart speakers.
How to Create a Google Home Family Group
If you set up a Google Family Group, you can use Google Home as an intercom and set reminders with the Family Bell feature. Family members can communicate from any device with the Google Home app, including their phones. To create a Google Family Group:
