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Alexa gets more powerful when you include its library of third-party skills, but you often need to know the specific wording to make things work. For example, if I ask Google Assistant, "Where is Blade Runner 2049 playing near me?" it will give me movie showtimes, automatically. For Alexa, you have to specifically "Ask Fandango." I can ask Google Assistant directly for a fried chicken recipe; with Alexa, you need to remember to enable the Allrecipes skill. That said, Alexa's recipes then come from Allrecipes, a reliable source; Google's came from some site I'd never heard of. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The Google Home Mini is the predecessor to the Google Nest Mini.

The first screen of the app should automatically detect the Home Mini. (If it doesn't, tap the Device button in the top right and then tap the Add New Device button to get instructions on how to find the device.) Tap Set Up. Check out Google's privacy statement regarding the Google Nest Mini states the company's commitment to the care of your data and information. If you're ever concerned about your use of the Nest Mini, however, you can take a break by switching the microphone off completely. Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age.
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But, keep in mind that it’s best viewed as a supplement to the Home family, not the foundation. This device’s specialty, aside from being oh-so smart, is mainly to reward those who are already within Google’s Cast-enabled walled garden with a cheap, new device. If you want to solely use the Home Mini as a set of Bluetooth speakers, the Google Home app offers up pairing settings, though they are rather buried within the app. The Google Home Mini is the most affordable Google Assistant-enabled speaker available and thankfully, its voice recognition doesn’t suffer from the reduction in size and price.

With Nest Mini and Nest Audio, all your Matter devices will work seamlessly with Google Home. Build a home audio system – or just fill a room with sound, and listen to music, news, podcasts and more wherever you are in the house. Choose your Google Home Mini voice assistant in either chalk, charcoal or coral to match your home.
Learn about the latest features from Google Home.
You can even use this smart speaker to work with your smart home as it's compatible with a range of different systems, like Phillips Hue and Nest. Google Assistant is better than any other voice assistant at recognising what you’re trying to say, even if you’ve garbled the question. In general, Google Assistant is better at interpreting loose, natural-language queries than Alexa is.

Google Home Mini is the company’s new smart speaker that shrinks down all the intelligence into a cheaper, smaller package. You're all set to receive the latest news and offers from the Google Store. Keep me updated about devices, news, tips and offers from Google Store. PCMag is obsessed with culture and tech, offering smart, spirited coverage of the products and innovations that shape our connected lives and the digital trends that keep us talking. When it comes to speakers, Google has the $50 Mini, the $129 Home, and the $399 Max.
Speaker Hanger Speaker Wall Mount Holder Stand Bracket For Google Home Mini
This mini speaker can get fairly loud, but there’s no bass in the delivery. That means that the Home Mini is exactly like the larger, more expensive Google Home and even the much more powerful Google Home Max in that it can control your smart home devices. While the others make for very solid standalone speakers from a performance standpoint, the Home Mini can’t hold its own as the sole sound-maker in your house. Speaking of Cast, Google’s latest speaker works best within a crowd of other Cast-enabled devices.

Control your Nest thermostat as well as any appliances you have using smart plugs, or simply settle in and listen to the latest news, podcasts and audiobooks. Google Nest Mini deals can save you plenty of cash on the brand's own smart speakers, and the best part is these are already particularly well priced devices. See all the active audio and video streams on your compatible home devices in one place, change the volume, skip to the next track, or quickly change which speakers they’re playing from. The Home tab gives you shortcuts for the things you do most, like playing music or dimming the lights when you want to start a movie. Control it all with just a tap or two – and get to the good stuff faster. The Feed tab highlights important events in your home in one place.
We're seeing more Alexa-enabled speakers than Google-enabled speakers coming down the pike in the next few months, and Alexa has maintained its lead in third-party services. You plug the Mini into the wall and set it up through the Google Home app on Android or iOS. Then, when you say "Hey Google," four soft LEDs light up in the middle of the speaker, and Google Assistant answers. The app is very similar to the Alexa app (and, like the Alexa app, it buries many of its options and third-party services under a hidden menu). You've got yourself one of Google's adorable Home Mini smart speakers, but now that you've unpacked the box and plugged it in, you're trying to figure out how to get the whole thing set up.
See your activity, delete it manually, or choose to delete it automatically. Ask questions like “Where can I change my privacy settings? ” to get answers to the most common privacy and security questions. Create Routines that allow you to turn on compatible lights, check the weather, play the news, and more with one simple command. If you’re in the market for a cheap speaker, the Google Home Mini will do the trick for many.
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But there just aren't that many Chromecast-enabled speakers, and you can plug an Echo Dot into anything. You can get similar results by connecting a Chromecast Audio to your favorite speaker and using it with the Mini, but that's an extra purchase and step that will be a deal breaker for many people. The Google Nest Mini is a refreshed Google Home Mini model, with all the same Google Assistant features and integrations plus added quality of life enhancements in the hardware department. Ask your Google Nest Mini to play your favourite songs on Spotify, stream your favourite movie through a Chromecast, or adjust your Philips Hue lighting, all using just your voice.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. This has generally worked well, but as of today it now crashes every time I try to do something. A light I turn on every night displays in the morning as it turned off when it is still on. Giving verbal commands to my Google home results in lots of glitches lately.