Update These 5 Google Home Settings Now to Enhance Your Experience - CNET

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Picture this: You conscionable unboxed your caller Google Home instrumentality and you can't hold to enactment it to the test. But earlier you find a location for your instrumentality and indulge successful the easiness of Google Assistant commands and routines, don't hide to update your device's settings. 

You truly shouldn't conscionable settee for the default settings -- determination are immoderate settings you'll astir apt privation to alteration arsenic soon arsenic it's retired of the container to instrumentality afloat vantage of your caller Google Home device. Google Home speakers effort to get you to motion up for a Google Duo telephone fig erstwhile you adhd a device, but did you cognize you tin crook your Google Home into a speakerphone utilizing your superior telephone fig -- adjacent if you usage an iPhone?

This is conscionable 1 of galore chill features you tin acceptable up connected Google Home. We'll amusement you however to acceptable this up, positive 4 different settings you should update today. For much connected astute devices, cheque retired how overmuch a Google astute location would outgo you and the updates coming to Google Home this year. 

1. Get notified erstwhile idiosyncratic joins your Google Home group

"I'm the lone idiosyncratic successful my household," you say. "Why would I privation to beryllium notified if idiosyncratic joins my Google Home group?" Precisely because you are the lone 1 who should beryllium authorized to usage it, that's why.

This mounting isn't conscionable astir keeping you informed of changes, it's astir security. If your Google relationship were to get hacked oregon different compromised, 1 aboriginal informing motion mightiness beryllium an unauthorized idiosyncratic oregon instrumentality being added to your Google Home group. 

To get these notifications:

1. Open the Google Home app and pat Settings, past nether General pat Notifications.

2. If your telephone isn't acceptable to let notifications from Google Home, travel the instructions wherever it says Tap present to crook them connected successful Settings.

3. Tap General Notifications and toggle connected the archetypal option, People and devices. If you'd similar to person propulsion notification ads, toggle connected Product updates arsenic well.

Google Home and Nest Minis person a carnal microphone switch, truthful you tin marque them halt listening if you privation other privacy.

Chris Monroe/CNET

2. Adjust your Google Home privateness settings

It's important to set the privateness settings successful your Google Home app, too. We person a thorough guide to Google Home information features here. If you're reasonably acquainted with those information settings but conscionable privation to freshen things up a bit, here's however to get to the idiosyncratic information portal:

1. Open the Google Home app and pat your personal icon (it could beryllium your photograph oregon a silhouette) successful the precocious close corner.

2. Select You from the paper barroom astatine the apical and pat Your information successful the Assistant.

Linking your superior telephone fig to Google Home allows you to marque calls from your astute talker and recipients volition spot it's you.

Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET

3. Make calls utilizing your Google Home device

Hands-free calling is 1 of the top Google Home features, but it won't enactment the mode you privation it to unless you've acceptable it up right. To marque definite Google Home displays your superior telephone fig erstwhile you usage it to telephone out, travel these steps:

1. Open the Google Home app and pat Settings.

2. Scroll down until you spot Google Assistant services then pat Voice & video calls. 

3. Tap Mobile calling. If you haven't acceptable it up yet, pat Your ain number past pat Add oregon alteration telephone number.

4. Google volition nonstop a verification code to your phone, which you'll request to participate connected the adjacent screen.

5. Once your telephone fig is linked, marque definite Your ain fig is selected nether Your linked services.

6. Under Contacts, pat Upload Now to sync contacts from your phone.

Now each you person to bash to marque calls with Google Home is summon Google Assistant ("OK, Google" oregon "Hey, Google") and accidental "Call [contact name]."

4. Change your nickname connected Google Home

My Google Home is presently acceptable to telephone maine Sergeant Pepper for nary crushed different than I get a footwear retired of my integer adjunct referring to maine arsenic a Beatles album. You tin person yours telephone you immoderate you want. Note, however, that you whitethorn person to spell it retired phonetically. To thatch Google Home your nickname:

1. Open the Google Home app and pat Settings, past scroll down and pat More settings.

2. Under You, pat Nickname past nether What should the Assistant telephone you? benignant the nickname you privation it to use.

3. Tap Play to perceive however Google Assistant volition accidental your name. If it doesn't pronounce it correctly, alteration the spelling until it does.

And yes, you tin marque it cuss.

You tin personalize your Google Home successful a batch of ways, including by teaching it to telephone you by a nickname like, say, Mickey Mouse?

James Martin/CNET

5. Create a talker radical to maximize your philharmonic enjoyment

Not lone bash Google Home speakers dependable large connected their own, they get adjacent amended erstwhile you treble oregon triple oregon adjacent quadruple them up. In fact, you tin adhd arsenic galore speakers arsenic you person successful your location to a talker group. We person elaborate instructions connected however to usage Google Home to create a whole-house audio strategy here, but here's the simplified version:

1. Open the Google Home app and pat the + (plus sign) successful the precocious near corner.

2. Tap Create talker group, prime the speakers you privation to include, past pat Next.

3. Under Name this talker group, benignant a sanction ("Whole House" oregon "Living Room," etc.) and pat Save.

Another mode to uplevel your speakers' dependable is to usage 1 arsenic a near and 1 arsenic a close channel. Here's however to make a talker pair retired of 2 (of the same) Google Home speakers. You'll privation to beryllium definite you've got your music services acceptable up the close way, too. And portion you're astatine it, see mounting your Google Home oregon Nest Mini on the partition for amended sound.

Google engineers enactment Google Home astute speakers done a artillery of tests to get the champion dependable imaginable from the tiny devices.

James Martin/CNET

More Google-centric recommendations:

• Wondering How Much a Google Smart Home Will Cost You? We Did the Math
• Google Home: 5 Things You Need to Be Asking Your Smart Speaker
• 8 Essential Google Nest Commands You Need to Try Now
• The Google Nest Feature I Use Almost Daily: Turn it Into a Bluetooth Speaker
• This Google Feature Will Make You Less Frustrated With Your Home and Nest Speakers
• Google Home Can Help You Get Better Sleep, Here's How.