• | 11:45 am

7 time-saving Google Assistant tricks you should use every day

Automate your morning, turn articles into podcasts, find your way home, and a whole lot more with these Google Assistant time savers.

[Source photo: Jakob Owens/Unsplash]

If youā€™re like me, youā€™re constantly looking for ways to save time. Iā€™m not all that busy, mind you: Iā€™m mostly just lazy. And the less time I spend doing stuff, the more time I have toĀ not do stuff.

Enter Google Assistant. Itā€™s very good at setting timers, which must be among its most oft-requested tasks. But it can do a whole lot more, some of which can result in real time-savings each day. Here are a handful of Google Assistant commands that I use every day on my Android phone.

ā€œGOOD MORNINGā€

Pro tip: Hold down the Assistant button and say ā€œgood morningā€ while your spouse is nearby. Itā€™ll launch the routineā€”andĀ youā€™ll have said good morning to your spouse.

By default, this routine will tell you about the weather, whatā€™s on your calendar, any reminders youā€™ve set, upcoming birthdays, and if your battery is low. Finally, itā€™ll read the news to you.

You can edit this routine and others like it by launching Google Assistant, simply saying ā€œroutines,ā€ and then tapping the Routines cog.

ā€œHELP ME LEAVE ON TIMEā€

Lose track of time often? This trick is a godsend if you try to cram too much into each morning. A half hour before you need to leave, say ā€œhelp me leave on time,ā€ and your assistant will begin a 30-minute countdown of sorts.

Itā€™ll nudge you at the 20-, 10-, 5-, 1- and zero-minute marks with a little chime and message about how much time you have left. Or, you can customize these times using the same workflow described in the previous tip.

And if youā€™ve got a wildly fluctuating commute, use the ā€œtell me about my commuteā€ command to get a sense of when youā€™ll need to start the 30-minute countdown.

ā€œREAD THISā€

Ah, my personal favorite. As someone whoā€™s both lazy and loves to multitask, the ā€œread thisā€ directive makes short work of long articles.

If I start to get the feeling, about three paragraphs in, that whatever Iā€™m reading might take a bit, Iā€™ll just hold down my Assistant button and say, ā€œread this.ā€

A quick whiff of technological achievement later, and my phone is reading aloud to me while I putter around the house.

CALL SOMEONE ON SPEAKERPHONE

Now for this one to work, youā€™ll need to enable ā€œHey Googleā€ functionality (see how here), which simply means that your phone will be listening for you to say ā€œHey Googleā€ in lieu of launching the Assistant app.

But itā€™s mighty handy when your hands are full, covered in cake batter, or carrying one or more children around.

Once enabled, say ā€œHey Google, call Slippery Pete on speakerphoneā€ (of course, replacing Slippery Pete with someone in your contact list). Itā€™ll then dial that person, and put you on speakerphone so you can move about unencumbered.

ā€œFIND MY PHONEā€

I do realize the irony of using your phone to find your phone, but if youā€™ve got another Google Assistant-enabled deviceā€”say, a tablet, a second phone, or a smart speakerā€”itā€™ll become your new best friend every time you canā€™t find your phone.

Say ā€œfind my phone,ā€ and itā€™ll start your wayward handset a-ringing while you make your way around the house looking for it. Bonus tip: If that doesnā€™t work, try accessing Googleā€™sĀ Find My Device pageĀ from a web browser. Itā€™ll pinpoint the locations of your Google-connected devices and ring them for five minutes straight.

ā€œTAKE ME HOMEā€

As someone whoā€™s perpetually lost, I usually bark this order into my phone while driving, followed by a slew of expletives (but it still works!).

Say ā€œtake me home,ā€ and Google Maps will open up, get a lock on your location, and start piloting you back to familiar surroundings.

ā€œGOOD NIGHTā€

If you find yourself doing too much tapping before you set your phone on its charger each night, check out the ā€œgood nightā€ routine to see if you can automate some or all of it.

By default, saying ā€œgood nightā€ to the Assistant prompts you to set the alarm, tells you if your battery is low, and then plays soothing sleep sounds for a bit.

However, you can, and should, customize this routine to your liking by saying ā€œroutinesā€ and tapping the Routines cog. Open up the Bedtime routine, and tap the ā€œAdd actionā€ button to automate things like adjusting your ringer volume, turning on ā€œdo not disturb,ā€ and telling you about tomorrowā€™s weather.

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