Google is rolling out device triggers for Assistant routines

Earlier this month, Google announced a redesigned Google Home app for Android, and it will soon be available to users enrolled in the Public Preview program. The app has a lot of new features, and one of them is the ability for a device to trigger a Google Assistant routine. However, a few people are noticing the upcoming feature in the Google Home app with the existing design, reports 9To5Google.

Similar to Bixby Routines, Google Assistant routines can perform a series of actions. For example, it can turn off lights, lock doors, and show the security camera feed on your phone all at once. Currently, you can trigger a routine by saying a voice command or activating it from the Google Home app. However, there is no option for a device to trigger a routine, which could come in very handy for many people.

The ability to activate a routine using a device opens up a whole new world of possibilities. One of the users who received the device trigger feature in their Google Home app for Android used it to create a routine where a smart outlet powering a coffee maker triggers Google Assistant speakers to announce “the coffee maker was turned on” whenever the user switches on the power outlet.

I am now able to use devices to trigger Google Home routines! pic.twitter.com/t3PF1vn8Ze

— Sune H. Kuntz (@SuneKuntz) October 19, 2022

The new feature should also allow sensors to trigger a routine. However, none of the users who received the new feature was able to trigger a routine using a sensor. Maybe Google is saving the ability to do so for the upcoming version of the Google Home app. The new app will also bring support for Matter, the upcoming standard for smart home devices.

Anyway, the device trigger feature for the Google Assistant routine was also spotted on the iOS version of the Google Home app. However, only a limited number of people are reporting the availability of the new feature in the app with the existing design, and we haven’t received it on our devices. So, it is unclear how widely the new feature is rolling out.