Google Home adds smarter routines for TVs, appliances, and security systems

Google is rolling out a fresh batch of automation tools for the Google Home app, expanding what you can control across connected devices. The update focuses squarely on routines, adding new starters, conditions, and actions that give you more granular control over your smart home.

The changes were highlighted in a post on X by Google Home Chief Product Officer Anish Kattukaran, who stated that the update introduces approximately 20 new automation elements. Examples include dimming the lights when a TV starts playing, announcing when a washer finishes a cycle, or automatically arming a security system at a set time. According to Kattukaran, more automation “traits” are already in the pipeline, with another batch expected in the coming weeks.

Google’s release notes on the update flesh out what’s new. On the trigger side, you can now build routines around media playback states like playing, paused, or buffering, as well as volume levels and light brightness thresholds. Smart appliances can also act as conditions, letting routines respond to whether a washer or dryer is running, paused, stopped, or reporting an error.

There’s also a long list of new actions. You can now turn more devices on or off, arm (but not yet disarm) security systems, open or close smart blinds, and send robot vacuums back to their dock or pause and resume cleaning. Certain appliances, such as washers, dryers, and coffee machines, can now be started, stopped, or paused through automations, although support is still limited to select device types.

As with most Google Home updates, rollout won’t be instant for everyone. Google notes that features may take time to appear even if you’re on the latest app version, and device support varies depending on the manufacturer. Still, it appears to be a significant expansion of Google Home’s automation toolkit, which hopefully addresses some of the main frustrations we had with the app.