Josh Hendrickson
When it comes to voice commands, Google Assistant is a great option for any smart home. But for automation, it falls a little short. It looks like Google will soon add shortcuts to make it easier to run commands without your voice, but it’s still not the routines we need.
First spotted by XDA-Developers, the new shortcut feature might be called “My Actions,” according to some lines of code in version 12.15.7.29 of the Google app. The feature states,
“My Actions can be configured to do anything Assistant can do, in just one tap.” So, much like Assistant’s current routines, you’re replicating a voice command without having to talk.
It seems like the shortcuts will appear on the Google app home screen, which is convenient for quick and easy access. But it’s still a limited feature. Google started to add more robust routines with new sunrise and sunset options and basic scheduling. But proper smart home automation calls for various triggers, like weather, alarms, sensors, or even interaction from other smart home devices like buttons and switches.
Google’s Assistant edges out Alexa when it comes to robust voice commands, but for years the company has fallen behind on routines, and sadly that’s not changing here. When the My Actions features do roll out, it will be a welcome change. Just not the change we really want to see.
via XDA-Developers
