Control Google Nest and Google Home devices by voice

You can use your voice to enjoy Google Nest and Google Home speaker and display features, like media, alarms, lights & thermostats, volume control, and much more.

Note: If Digital Wellbeing is enabled, this feature may be restricted or blocked by Downtime, Filters, or Do not disturb. Please go here for more information on Digital Wellbeing.

Use single or multiple voice queries

Single voice queries

Simply say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google" before any of the voice queries below.

Multiple voice queries

Here's how to ask your Assistant to do multiple things at once. (US English only)

Listen to media

Music

To do this...	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google,” then...
Request a song	"Play <song name>," "Play <song name> by <artist name>," "Play <song name> from <album name>," “Play <song name> on <music service>” "Play songs like <song-name>"
Request an artist	"Play <artist name>," "Play music by <artist name>," "Play <artist name>" on <music service>,” "Play songs like <artist-name>"
Request an album	"Play <album name>", "Play <album name> by <artist name>", "Play <album name> by <artist name> on <music service>”
Play music based on genre/mood/activity	"Play classical music", "Play happy music", "Play music for cooking", “Play <genre> on <music service>”
Play personalized suggested content from chosen service	"Play some music", “Play <genre> music on <music service>”
Shuffle	"Shuffle" "Shuffle <album>" "Shuffle some music" "Play <album> and shuffle" "Play <album> shuffled" "Play <album> on shuffle" You can also use an artist or playlist name instead of an album name.
Pause	"Pause", "Pause the music"
Resume	"Resume", "Continue playing"
Stop	"Stop ", "Stop the music"
Play next song	“Next”, “Skip”, "Next song"
What’s playing	“What’s playing?”, “What song is playing?”, “What artist is playing?”
Control volume	"Set volume to 5", "Set volume to 40%"
Play music on your speakers, TV, or video device. Note: You must use a Chromecast, Chromecast built-in TV or Assistant built-in TV that is linked to Google Home.	"Play music on my living room TV", "Play <genre> on my bedroom speakers"
Play music on a speaker group	“Play music on all speakers” Note: Set up a speaker group in the Google Home app to enable this feature.

Here's more on how to listen to music.

Podcasts

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google," then....
Listen to a podcast	“Listen to This American Life,” "Play Serial podcast"
Continue listening to a podcast	“Continue listening to This American Life”
Listen to podcast by latest episode	“Listen to the latest episode of This American Life”
Listen to the next/previous episode	"Next episode," “Previous”
Pause	"Pause," "Pause the podcast"
Resume	"Resume," "Continue playing"
Stop	"Stop," "Stop the podcast"
Change the playback speed	“Play at 2x speed,” “Play slower/faster, “Play twice as fast, “Play at half the speed”
Play previous/next podcast	“Next," “Skip," "Next podcast," "Previous," "Previous episode"
What’s playing (podcast)	“What’s playing?”, “What podcast is playing?”
Discover new podcasts	"Recommend a podcast"

Here's more on how to listen to podcasts.

Radio

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google,” then...
Listen to closest radio station by name	“Play Mega 97.9 FM," “Play ESPN Radio," “Play Mega 97.9 on iHeartRadio,” “Play WNYC”
Listen to radio station by call-sign	"Play KQED," Play KFOG”
Listen to radio station by frequency	“Play 98.5"
Listen to radio station by frequency in another location	"Play 98.7 New York"
Listen to radio station by name in another location	“Play Z100 in Portland,” “Play Z100 in New York”
Listen to premium online radio streaming Subscription required (US and Canada only)	“Play Hits 1 on SiriusXM”
Listen to the last radio station or channel you played	“Turn on the radio,” “Play the radio”
Listen to the last radio station or channel you played on a specific service	“Play SiriusXM”
Play radio on TV or speaker with Chromecast built in	“Play CNN RADIO on my <device name>”
Play a nearby NPR station	"Play NPR"
Pause	"Pause" or "Pause the radio"
Resume	"Resume" or "Continue playing"
Stop	"Stop" or "Stop the radio"
What radio station is playing	“What's playing?”
Control volume	"Set volume to 5," "Set volume to 40%"

Here's more on how to listen to radio.

News

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
Listen to the latest news	“Play me the news" “Listen to the news" "Tell me the news"
Listen to news from specific provider	“Listen to (the news from) [provider name]” “Play (the news from) [provider name]"
Listen to news about a topic	"Listen to news about NASA" "Play the latest on college football" "Hear headlines about Google"
Listen to the latest news about a specific news category	“What’s the latest in sports?” “Play business news”
Pause	"Pause" or "Pause the news"
Resume	"Resume" or "Continue playing"
Stop	"Stop " or "Stop the news"
Change the playback speed	“Play at 2x speed,” “Play slower/faster, “Play twice as fast, “Play at half the speed”
Play next news story	“Next”, “Skip”
Rewind	"Rewind," "Rewind x seconds/minutes"
What’s playing (news)	“What’s playing?” “What news is playing?”

Here's more on how to listen to news.

Chromecast-enabled apps

Content playing from Chrome to your speaker or display

Control TV or speakers

Play audio on speakers and TVs from your speaker or display

Play video on TVs using your speaker or display

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
Play general videos from TV show / YouTube Channel / artist	“Play John Oliver videos <on TV>" "Play Casey Neistat videos <on Living Room TV>" "Play Adele videos <on Chromecast>"
Play specific videos / songs	"Play Secret Life of Pets trailer <on TV>" "Play Rise by Katy Perry video <on Bedroom TV>"
Play videos by category	"Play yoga videos <on TV>"
Turn on subtitles/captions Turn off subtitles/captions	"Turn on subtitles," "Turn on captions," "Subtitles on," "Captions on" "Turn off subtitles," "Turn off captions," "Subtitles off," "Captions off"
Turn on <language> subtitles Note: Supported languages depend on the content service (example: YouTube or Netflix) and the video title.	"Turn on French subtitles"
You can use any of the initiation and control commands on your remote device — add <on device name> to your command.	“Pause <on TV>” “Resume <on TV>” "Skip <on Living Room TV>" “Stop <on TV>”

Here's more on how to play video on TVs using your Google Nest or Home device.

Play TV shows and movies using your speaker or display

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or Hey Google," then..
Open an app	"Open YouTube on the TV" or "Start Netflix on the TV"
Play TV series, TV show, or movie Note: For TV series, each session usually starts where the previous session ended. For The CW, each session starts from the latest aired episode. Requesting specific episodes / seasons of a TV series is not currently supported.	“Watch <Orange is the New Black> <on TV>" or “Watch <Orange is the New Black> <from [partner]> <on TV>" "Watch <Stranger Things> <on Chromecast>" or "Watch <Stranger Things> <on [partner]> <on Chromecast>" "Play <The Crown> <on TV>" or "Play <The Crown> <on [partner]> <on TV>"
Play next episode / previous episode Note: This functionality is not supported for CW [CWTV]. Crackle supports "Next episode" but not "previous episode."	“Next episode <on TV>" “Previous episode <on TV>”
Pause/resume/stop	“Pause <on TV>” “Resume <on TV>” “Stop <on TV>”
Skip back	“Skip back <time> <on TV>," “Rewind <time> <on TV>," “Jump back <time> <on TV>”
Turn on subtitles/captions Turn off subtitles/captions	"Turn on subtitles," "Turn on captions," "Subtitles on," "Captions on" "Turn off subtitles," "Turn off captions," "Subtitles off," "Captions off"
Turn on <language> subtitles Note: Supported languages depend on the content service (example: YouTube or Netflix) and the video title.	"Turn on Spanish subtitles"
Turn on dubbing Note: Dubbing switches the spoken language to a language of your choice. Note: Dubbing is not supported for Google Play Movies, CW [CWTV], CBS [CBS All Access], HBO NOW, Viki, Crackle, or STARZ.	"Dubbing on" "Turn on dubbing" "Can you turn on dubbing?"
Change dubbing to a language of your choice	"Change language to <German>" "Switch language to <Spanish>" "Turn on <French> dubbing" "Play it in <English>"

Here's more on how to play TV shows and movies using your Google Nest or Home device.

Multi-room group playback with your speaker or display

To do this...	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
Play music using group name	“Play rock on <group name>”
Control music using basic commands	“Pause, resume, stop, play next song”
Control volume Note: During group playback, volume commands only change the local Google Home device unless you say "Ok Google, ... on <Group name>."	"Set volume to 5," "Set volume to 40%"

Here's more on how to use multi-room group playback with your Google Nest or Home device.

View Google Photos using your speaker or display

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or Hey Google," then...
View photos of named people (face grouping) Note: Face grouping isn’t available in all countries. Here’s more on the face grouping feature.	“Show me photos of <Margaret> on <device name>”
View photos of places	“Show me photos of <San Francisco> on <device name>”
View photos of things	“Show me photos of <dogs> on <device name>”
View photos by date	“Show me photos from <last year> on <device name>”

Here's more on how to view Google Photos using your Google Nest or Home device.

Plan your day

Traffic and commute

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google," then...	What Google Home will say or do:
Hear commute conditions	"How long is my commute?"	Estimated time to drive to work from your home address Traffic conditions for the fastest route
Specify method	"How long will it take to walk/train/bus/bike to the library?"	Estimated time to walk/train/bus/bike to a destination from your home address Traffic conditions if you’re driving
Specify destination	"How long will it take to get to Costco?"	Estimated time to drive to a destination from your home address Traffic conditions for the fastest route
Specify source and destination	"How long will it take to get from work to San Francisco International airport?"	Estimated time to destination Traffic conditions for the fastest route

Here's more on how to get traffic & commute information.

Weather and forecast

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or "Hey Google," then...
Ask for current weather	“What’s the weather?” Note: This command will provide weather information for your device home address
Ask for weather forecast for: tomorrow specific day weekend week next xx days (choose between 1-10 days)	“What’s the weather tomorrow, specific day, weekend, for the next 4 days etc?” “What will the weather be like between one day of the week and another day of the week?” Note: This command will provide weather information for your device home address
Ask specific questions about weather / forecast	“Is it going to rain tomorrow?” “Is it sunny today?” "Will I need an umbrella tomorrow?" Note: This command will provide weather information for your device home address
Ask specific question about in a certain location for: tomorrow specific day weekend week next xx days (choose between 1-10 days)	“Will it rain tomorrow in London?” "What's the weather this weekend in Mountain View?"
Ask for general weather in a certain location	“What’s the weather in London?”
Specify unit	“What’s the weather in Celsius?”

Here's more on how to get weather & forecast information.

Business

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
Hear nearby locations	“Where are pharmacies nearby?", “Any ATMs nearby?”, “Find me a restaurant”
Hear business phone number	“What is the phone number for the nearest Walgreens?”
Hear business address	“What is the address for Walgreens in Pacifica?”
Hear business open hours	"Is the Walgreens on Middlefield open right now?”

Here's more on how to listen to get local business information.

Calendar and event

To do this:

Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...

Hear information on
a single upcoming event/meeting

“When/what/where is my first event/meeting?”

“When/what/where is my next event/meeting /
agenda/calendar?”

Hear information about multiple events/
meetings/ agenda/calendar

Note: You'll hear information
for your first three scheduled events

“List all events for August 1st”

"What’s my agenda for today?"

“What’s my calendar for Friday?”

Here's more on how to get calendar & event information.

Flights

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
Hear date / time/ airline /destination /origin of next upcoming flight	"My next flight" When is my upcoming flight?" "What time is my upcoming flight?" "My next <United> flight" "My flight to <New York>"
Hear on time/delay status	“Is my flight on time?” “Is my British Airways flight delayed?”
Hear date / time/ airline /destination /origin of upcoming multiple flights Note: You will hear information for your next three scheduled flights	"When are my upcoming flights?" "What times are my flights?" "My <United> flights?" "My flights in <December>"

Here's more on how to get flight information.

Control your home

Lights

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
To turn on/off a light	"Turn on <light name>"
Dim a light	"Dim the <light name>"
Brighten a light	"Brighten the <light name>"
Set a light brightness to a certain percentage	"Set <light name> to 50%"
Dim/Brighten lights by a certain percentage	Dim/Brighten <light name> by 50%"
Change the color of a light	"Turn <light name> green"
Turn all lights in room on or off	“Turn on or off lights in <room name>"
Turn all lights on or off	“Turn on or off all of the lights”

Here's more on how to connect & manage lights using your Google Nest or Home device.

Thermostat

To do this:

Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...

To adjust the temperature

“Make it warmer”

“Lower the temp”

“Raise temp 2 degrees”

"Set the temperature to 72"

To switch heating or cooling modes

“Turn on the cooling”

“Set the thermostat to heating"

“Turn thermostat to heat-cool mode”

Here's more on how connect & manage thermostats with the Google Assistant.

Plugs and switches

Wi-Fi

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google," then...
Pause Wi-Fi for a family Wi-Fi device group.	"Pause Wi-Fi for [Family Wi-Fi group]."
Resume Wi-Fi for a paused family Wi-Fi device group	"Unpause Wi-Fi for [Family Wi-Fi group]."
Check the internet speed of the router	"What's my internet speed?"

Available when using Google Nest Wifi or Google Wifi in the Home app.

Note: Since pause/unpause can be voice activated, be careful when adding critical devices to a Family Wi-Fi group.

Manage alarms, timers, and shopping list

Alarms

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google”, then...
Set new alarm	"Set alarm for 6am tomorrow”
Set alarm with name	“Set an alarm for 7 am called Medicine”
Set recurring alarm	"Set alarm for 7am every day of the week”
Ask about existing alarm	"When is my alarm set for?” “When is my Friday alarm?” "When is my medicine alarm?"
Ask about all alarms	“What alarms are set?”
Cancel an existing alarm	"Cancel my alarm" "Cancel my medicine alarm”
Stop a ringing alarm	"Stop" To stop an alarm, you don’t need to say “Ok, Google”; just say “Stop”. (English language only) To control by touch: Google Home - Tap the top. Google Nest Mini (2nd gen) - Tap the center. Google Home Mini (1st gen) - Press and hold either side. Google Home Max - Tap the line on the top or right side. Google Nest displays - Tap Stop on the screen. On a Google Nest Wifi point - Tap the center.
Snooze	“Snooze for 10 minutes.” "Snooze"

Here's more on how to set up & manage alarms.

Timers

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google”, then...	Your speaker or display will:
Set a timer, Set a timer with name	“Set a timer for 1 minute” “Set a 10 minute timer for pizza”	Set timer for 1 minute Set timer with specified name
Find out time remaining on timer, Find out time remaining on timer with a name	"How much time is left?" "How much time is left on my pizza?"	Say time remaining on timer with specified name
Cancel a timer, Cancel a timer with name	“Cancel timer” “Cancel pizza timer”	Cancel timer Cancel timer with specified name
Stop a ringing timer	“Stop” To stop a timer, you don’t need to say “Ok, Google”; just say “Stop”. (English language only) To control by touch: Google Home - Tap the top. Google Home Mini - Press and hold either side. Google Nest Mini - Tap the center. Google Home Max - Tap the line on the top or right side. Google Nest displays - Tap Stop on the screen. Google Nest Wifi point - Tap the center.	Stop timer
Pause timer	“Pause timer”	Pause timer
Resume timer	“Resume timer" “Restart timer”	Resume timer from the time it was paused

Here's more on how to set up & manage timers.

Shopping lists

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google,” then...
Add item to list	“Add paper towels to my shopping list.”
Add multiple items to list	“Add paper towels and batteries to my shopping list.”
Ask what’s on list	“What’s on my shopping list?”

Here's more on how to create & manage shopping lists.

Get answers and information

Fact, info and more

Facts and info

Get answers to your everyday questions.

“How tall is Barack Obama?”
“What’s the capital of Mali?”
“How many Oscars has Denzel Washington won?”
“Why is the sky blue?”
“How far is the sun?”
“What is the smallest country in Europe?”

Calculations

Perform complicated calculations.

"What is 15% of 92? "
"What’s the 5th root of 97? "

Translation

Get translations for words or phrases in supported languages.

"How do you say hello in Japanese?"
"What's "good morning" in French?

Currency conversions

Get conversions of global currencies.

"How many euros is a dollar worth?"

Unit conversions

Get conversions for units. Great for the kitchen!

"How many pounds are 2 kilos?"
"2 gallons are how many liters?"

Nutrition

Get nutrition information for ingredients or food.

"How much fiber in kale?"
"How much sugar is there in a Coke?"

Dictionary

Get definitions and spellings for words.

"How do I spell vigorously?"
"What does circumlocution mean?"

Local time

Get the local time in various locations.

“What time is it now?”
“What time is it in <location>? ”

Holidays

Get information on upcoming holidays.

“When is <holiday>?”
“How many days until <holiday>?”

Learn what Google Home can do

"What can you do?"

Here's more on how to get facts & info, dictionary, unit conversions, & more.

Sports

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google”, then...	What Google Home will say or do:
Hear the score for a game	“What was the score of the Warriors game?”	The score for the game
Hear how a team’s doing	“How are the Warriors doing?”	The score for the game if it’s in progress. The team’s overall win/loss record
Hear information about team's standing in a league	“What is the Warriors standings?” “What is the Warriors record?”	The league’s standings and leaders
Hear the next game for a team / tournament	“When are the Warriors playing next?”	The day, time, location, and who they are playing for the next game
Hear the schedule of a team or league	“Who are Warriors playing today/this week?” “Who’s playing in the <league> today?”	The schedule for team or league
Hear if team won or lost	“Did Warriors win/lose? “	Whether team won or lost
Hear league standings	"<League> standings"	The first ranked team

Here's more on how to get sports information.

Stock market and finance

To do this:	Say "Ok Google" or “Hey Google”, then...	What Google Home will say or do:
Hear about an individual stock	"What is Gilead trading at?"	The current price of XX stock The day’s gain / loss for that stock
Hear about an index	"What is the S & P 500 trading at?"	The current price of the index The day’s gain / loss for that stock
Hear about market health	“How are the markets doing?”	Summarize major indices
Hear about stock price: Before market opened At opening At close After hours	What was xyzz premarket price?” “What did xyzz open at?” What did xyzz close at?” What is xyzz’s after hour’s price?” Note: You can use ticker symbol or company name.	The company's stock price information
Hear market cap of company	“What is market cap of xyzz?”	The company's market cap

Here's more on how to get stock market & finance information.

Hear jokes and play trivia

Fun

Games with your Google Assistant

"Play Lucky Trivia"
"Crystal Ball"
"Mad Libs"
"Play the name game with the name 'John'."

Fun

"Entertain me"
"Let's have fun"
"Talk like Yoda"
"Where's Waldo?"

Easter eggs & other hidden surprises

"What are your easter eggs?"
"What are the 3 laws of robotics?"

More ways to play

"Sing a song"
"Do you know the muffin man?"
"Is your refrigerator running?"

Here's more on how to hear jokes, play trivia, games, & other fun.

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