Jordan O'BrienThe Google Assistant can now control smart homes in the UK without users needing to import Google Home devices from the US. That’s because those with a Google Pixel smartphone can now use the Google Assistant on that to turn on and off lights, and control other smart home devices.
Google has begun rolling out an update to Google Assistant on the Pixel smartphone, which enables control of a number of smart home products from consumer manufacturers. The current list of devices that can be controlled includes those from Honeywell, Philips Hue, SmartThings, WeMo and, of course, Nest.
With the Google Assistant on the Google Pixel, users can control their home in a number of ways. Firstly, it’s possible to control devices individually, such as the living room lamp. It’s also possible to group devices in ‘rooms’, enabling one command to be used to control an entire room.
The way the Google Assistant works on the Google Pixel is now closer to that of the Google Home. There are still a few key features missing, however. This includes the ability to send videos to Chromecast-connected devices using a voice command, a feature that remains unique to the Google Home.