Now that Google Home has officially made its way to Canada, let’s take a look at some things you can do with it.

Ask Google

The biggest thing is that you’re able to get “hands-free help” from the Google Assistant. That means, you can ask Google things like, “Ok Google, What’s the weather?” or “Hey Google, How tall is Justin Trudeau?”. Anything that you would normally search on Google, you’ll be able to search using your voice with Google Home, even if it's as simple as “Ok Google, How far away is the moon?”.

Audio & Video

You can also use Google Home to play some music or podcasts from your favourite streaming services like Spotify, Google Play Music and more. In addition, if you have a Chromecast Audio or speakers with Chromecast built-in, you can group them together to play audio in multiple room. So if you’re having a party, you can have your party playlist playing on all the devices in that group. Best of all, you can control it using Google Home and say things like, “Ok Google, Play party playlist on all speakers” or “Ok Google, Play pop on Home group.” Google Home can also tell you the latest news from your favourite news outlet or just what’s happening in the world of sports.

You also have the ability to ask Google Home to cast movies, videos and TV shows to your Chromecast or TV with Chromecast built-in. So you could say things like, “Ok Google, watch Stranger Things from Netflix on my TV” or “Ok Google, Play the latest movie trailers.”

Smart Home

Google Home also works great as a smart home hub, so then you’re able to control your Philips Hue bulbs or Nest thermostat just by using your voice. Google Home is also compatible with TP-LInk, SmartThings, Belkin WeMo, Honeywell, LIFX bulbs and Insignia devices. So you can say things like, “Ok Google, Are the lights on?” or “Ok Google, Dim the lights” and “Ok Google, Set the temperature to 22 degrees”.

What's coming next?

In the coming months, Google will add support for multiple users for Google Home in Canada. Right now, the feature is only available in the US but when it does make its way to Canada, you’ll be able to set up different profiles connected to their own Google account. And Google will be able to differentiate each user’s via their voice since it associated to their account. 

You'll also have the ability to buy swappable bases in a variety of colours. The bases are made from fabric or metal. To change the base, all you have to do is twist the bottom off of the Google Home and put on a new one. 

Even though Google Home has made its way to Canada, Amazon has yet to bring their Echo family of devices and it remains to be seen if Amazon will or not.