- You can now create home screen shortcuts for Google Assistants Routines.
- One can activate a routine with a single tap once this is enabled.
- The feature isn’t available to everyone till now.
Google Assistant Routines allow you to trigger multiple actions with a single phrase. Six ready-made routines are available, which you can customize to your liking. You can also create custom routines by assigning phrases to the actions you’d like Assistant to perform.
For example, Assistant can read you the weather report, turn on Bluetooth, and open YouTube. Google Assistant Routines work on phones, tablets, and smart speakers like Google Home Max. Google Assistant Routines are one of the more useful parts of the digital assistant.
It allows you to use a single command to carry multiple actions. This is a much better option other than repeating the same set of tasks again and again. Routines are efficient. This gives a relaxation to carry out your tasks on a daily basis.
The feature can be found on other devices as well. It includes Amazon’s Alexa and Samsung Bixby. However, Google is making its own take on the concept easier to access.
New Improvements to come
Google is testing an improvement on routines. According to which you can pin routines on the home screen.
You won’t even have to speak to initiate a Routine, once this is done. It will make the work easier. You now just have to hit the icon pinned on your home screen to make the work done. These shortcuts will act as a button. By tapping then will tell the Google Assistant to run a routine for you.
For instance, you have an I’m home routine. Earlier you’d have to say “I’m home” or “I’m back”.
Assistant then:
- Adjust lights, plugs, the thermostat, and other smart devices (if you have any)
- Broadcast that you are home through a Google Home speaker (if you have one)
- Tell you about your home reminders.
- Adjust media volume
- Play Music, news, radio, a podcast, an audiobook, or nothing.
But now all this can be done through a single tap. You can just pull out your phone, and tap the shortcut to carry out all associated actions. However, unfortunately, this isn’t available everywhere now.
Soon it may be available to all the Assistant users. Till now Reddit has found only three users who have spotted this change. But the feature isn’t rolled out to everyone.
