Google Home has some great interactions that can be used by kids and families alike. Google have now added to this with a new ability for the Google Assistant to add sound effects to a Disney story as you read it.
For a limited number of Disney stories, and only in the US for now, parents and carers can read activate Google Assistant to follow the stories by saying:
Hey Google, let’s read along with Disney
The nearest Google Home (Home, Home Mini or Home Max) will then be enabled to insert appropriate sound effects and music for that story when required. At this stage the list of books supported is only a select list of 16 Little Golden Books with more titles to be added soon:
- Mickey’s Christmas Carol
- The Three Little Pigs
- Alice in Wonderland
- Cinderella
- Coco
- Jack Jack Attack
- Mickey Mouse and his Spaceship
- Moana
- Toy Story 3
- Peter Pan
- Mickey Mouse Goes Christmas Shopping
- Ara the Star Engineer
- Aladdin
- Lion King
- Mulan
- Frozen
Once setup you replace Disney in the activation phrase with the title of the book, for example: “Hey Google, read along with Frozen”. While this mode is active other commands, searches and answers will be disabled. The mode itself can be disabled by saying “Hey Google, stop”. Google Home will also adjust to your reading and will play ambient music while there are long pauses with the microphone remaining active for about a minute until you are ready to start again. You can also resume the book within five minutes of pausing by saying “Hey Google, resume read along.”
If it seems too creepy with Google listening to the whole bedtime story, Google have said that although the microphone is on throughout the whole process, the data is not stored by Google once the story is completed.
At this stage the feature is available in the US only but we expect it to eventually arrive here as most Google Home features tend to do.
“we expect it to eventually arrive here as most Google Home features tend to do.” Just like music alarms? Still waiting….