Google Home may not be coming to Australia just yet, but it’s sure as heck attractive to a lot of people. The physical embodiment of Google’s newly launched assistant offers a lot of potential, and now Google has released a list of apps that are compatible with it.
Google Home, as well as being an interactive home for Google Assistant is also a Chromecast Audio target that you can stream music to, and a smart home hub that can control Philips Hue light bulbs, and a bunch of other smart home accessories we can’t get here in Australia such as Samsung Smart Things and Nest thermostats.
So what apps will you need to control or use your Google Home to its fullest potential when it does arrive here? The list of apps will grow says Google, but at the moment it looks like this:
Control by voice
Audio
- Google Play Music – Android
- YouTube Music – Android
- Spotify – Android
- Pandora – Android
- TuneIn – Android
Smart home
- Google Chromecast – Android
- Nest Thermostats – Android
- Phillips Hue – Android
- Samsung SmartThings – Android
- IF by IFTTT – Android
TV and Audio (Chromecast or Google Cast TV required)
- YouTube – Android
Tasks
Control by app
- Any Cast-enabled audio app
If you want to check out Duncan’s hands on impressions of Home you can check it out here.
With regards to an Australian launch, we’re hearing rumours but there’s nothing concrete yet so like us you’ll just have to stay tuned.
I’m ordering one via a friend in the U.S. – the open question is whether you’ll need to use a VPN with it, or if Google will be cool about these things…
I’ll go on a limb here and say Google Home won’t be released in aus until a unit like smartthings or similar comes to market here.
It’s half a product without that an integration like that.