The Google Home App
Google Home app is the one application to manage all of your Google devices in your home. Once called Google Cast, now aptly named Google Home, it is the control point for the Google Home speaker and Chromecast devices and functionality. The Google Home app is also where you will find your settings and customization.
As with a lot of home products, the application can make or break the experience. Google home is a great app. Once I had the Google Home speaker setup, and voice control was in the mix, I didn’t need to use the app much. You can control most things by voice. If you do want to customize a setting or change a news source, the app is where you will do it.
When you open the Google Home app, you see its laid out into three tabs. Watch, Listen and Discover. The Watch tab, that offers suggestions on what to watch, via Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services. Yes, they are not just clever names but very descriptive as well. As you can see in the screen shot, you can even open the Youtube and Netflix apps from within the Google Home app.
The Listen tab, will link you to your music options and apps that you have installed on your device. I had selections from Google Play music and IHeartRadio at the top of the screen.
As I scrolled down, I was also able to select other apps that I had installed on my phone. Pandora, and others are listed below. The Google Home app loads the media apps you use and displays the most recently used apps first.
The Third tab, is the Discover tab. This is a very useful section as you are trying to figure out just how much you can do on your Google Home speaker.
The Discover tab segments your devices by type. There is a Google Home section, Chromecast and TV’s section, then there is a Chromecast audio and speakers section. There were many statements about Chromecast inside, I am sure we will see even more TV’s and speakers with this as the trend grows.
Sections can be expanded or contracted. Relevant content is displayed when they are expanded. The Google Home section which is at the top, offers all kinds of insight. Home control is the first option. Below that you find items like “Enjoy relaxing sounds, and Shop everyday essentials.
[sam_pro id=”1_14″ codes=”true”]The format is just like Google Now cards. If you have not used Google now, its a simple layout where each item is in its own square that is referred to as a card. Each square has sample commands to use with the Google Home speaker. For example, “play forest sounds” is listed on the Enjoy and Relaxing Sounds card. There are also commands like, listen to a thunderstorm and stream sounds.
I have included screen shots of the Google App in the Picture viewer below. Take a quick browse through the screen shots if you would like to see whats in the app. As you will see, there is a lot. Home Control, settings, preferences, and more.
