You can now rest easier using Google Home. The smart speaker (as well as any other Google Assistant-enabled gadget) can now play an assortment of ambient noises, from fireplaces to rainfall to white noise. It's fairly simple to activate this feature, but you need to know what to say.
If you want Google Home to choose the relaxing sound to play, say "OK Google [or 'Hey Google'], help me relax," or "OK Google, play ambient noise."
If you want to choose something more specific, say "OK Google" or "Hey Google," followed by the following phrase:
- Play white noise
- Play Relaxing sounds
- Play Nature sounds
- Play Water sounds
- Play Running water sounds
- Play Outdoor sounds
- Play Babbling brook sounds
- Play Oscillating fan sounds
- Play Fireplace sounds
- Play Forest sounds
- Play Country sounds
- Play Ocean sounds
- Play Rain sounds
- Play River sounds
- Play Thunderstorm sounds
Google is sure to add more as time goes on, so you can also ask "What other ambient sounds do you know?"
Currently, Google Home's ambient sounds collection is much more limited than Alexa's (Amazon's assistant offers literally hundreds of ambient sound skills), and Google Home will only play the ambient sounds for an hour. There's no way to have Google Home loop the sounds, or have it play for a longer period, as you can with Alexa. Still, it's a much-welcomed addition, especially for those who have trouble falling asleep.
