How to Tell Google Home to Do Three Things with a Single Command
Want Google Assistant to turn on three smart home devices at once or perform other multitasking tricks? Follow these steps.
Getting Google Assistant to do multiple things with one command has traditionally been a challenge. If you wanted Google to tell you the weather in Boston, London, and Sydney, you'd have to issue three separate commands. As of November, users could issue two simultaneous commands (i.e. "Hey Google, tell me the weather in Boston and London") but not more.
At Google I/O, the company announced that it was increasing Assistant's multitasking capabilities. Today, Google announced on Twitter that support for up to three simultaneous commands is rolling out to users in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
As of this writing, Google seems to have deleted the original tweet. It's possible that Google's Twitter account goofed up, but some users are reporting that the feature works on their devices.
But don't worry if you don't have the feature yet. Most Google Home features roll out to users over a process of several weeks.
Once you have the feature, follow these simple steps to use three commands at once.
1. Find the command you want. There are over one million Google Assistant skills. It can do anything from mine cryptocurrency to guide your workout. If you want Google to perform a more complicated action, make sure to send it to your device from the Google Assistant website.
2. Say "Okay Google" or "Hey Google." This will "wake up" Google Assistant and make sure it's listening to you.
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3. Issue your three commands in one sentence. For example, say "Hey Google, tell me the weather in Boston, London, and Sydney," or "Hey Google, turn on the Chromecast, the coffeemaker, and the bedroom light."
You can't use this feature if any of your commands require further clarification. For example, if you just asked Google to "Set an alarm," it might need to ask when.
Monica Chin is a writer at The Verge, covering computers. Previously, she was a staff writer for Tom's Guide, where she wrote about everything from artificial intelligence to social media and the internet of things to. She had a particular focus on smart home, reviewing multiple devices. In her downtime, you can usually find her at poetry slams, attempting to exercise, or yelling at people on Twitter.