Google Assistant’s routines can automate your home life. Routines are one of the most useful ways to use Google Assistant, but you may get overwhelmed by the available options. Routines can manage your smart home devices, inform you of the weather in the morning, plan your breaks, and more. The more Google Assistant-compatible smart home devices you have, the more powerful routines can be.
This guide shows you the best Google Assistant routines for your day-to-day life. We include routines almost everyone can use, but don’t be afraid to customize them to your preferences.
How to use Google Assistant’s routines
If you’ve never used routines before, our guide on how to manage, create, and edit Google Assistant routines will get you started. Routines are simple to use, and you only need your phone and the Google Home app to get started.
All routines are managed from the Google Home app. Here you can add, modify, and delete routines. You can also see how to trigger each routine and all the steps involved.
- Open the Google Home app.
- Tap Routines.
The best default routines
If this is your first time using routines, Google Assistant confirms essential details like your work address. While you may need to modify these routines, all of them should work great from the get-go without modification. Although, we recommend customizing them to suit your lifestyle.
1. The ‘Bedtime’ routine
This routine is simple but the most useful one on this list. Once activated, it sets your alarm via voice command and mutes your phone. Trigger it by either saying “Bedtime,” “Good Night,” or “Time to hit the hay.”
2. The ‘Good Morning’ routine
This routine informs you of the weather, your calendar for the day, and any reminders. Trigger it by saying, “Good morning,” “Tell me about my day,” or “I’m up.”
3. The ‘Commute to work’ routine
This routine informs you about your commute, the weather, and your calendar for the day. It shares a lot of actions with the “Good Morning” routine, so we recommend customizing it or only using one. Trigger it by saying, “Let’s go to work.”
The best custom routines
While Google’s default routines work great for everyone, creating a custom routine is where Google Assistant Routines shines. Once you’ve tried these out, have a go at creating your own!
4. Turn on your lights at sunset
If you have smart bulbs, it’s easy to set them to turn on at sunset.
Starter:
- At sunrise or sunset: Select Sunset.
Actions:
- Adjust home devices: Select your smart bulbs and set them to turn on.
5. Take a break from work
We all need breaks from work. This routine sets your phone to Do Not Disturb, then turns it off later, allowing you respite from those pesky Slack messages.
Starter:
- Voice command: Enter a voice command like “Time to take a break” or “Break time.”
Actions:
- Adjust phone settings: Select Turn on do not disturb on Android devices.
- Delay start: Enter how long you wish your break to be.
- Adjust phone settings: Select Turn off do not disturb on Android devices.
- Communicate and announce: Tap Make an Announcement, then enter a phrase like “Break is over.”
6. Commuting home
There already is a default routine, but it’s a little bare-bones. This custom routine alerts a contact you’re on your way home and starts your favorite playlist. Before you start, open the default “Commuting home” routine and toggle the Activate routine switch to disable it.
Starter:
- Voice command: Enter a voice command like “On my way home” or “Heading home.”
Actions:
- Get info and reminders: Select Tell me about my commute home.
- Communicate and announce: Tap Send a text, then enter your contact’s number and a message like “I’m on my way home!”
- Play and control media: Tap Play music, then enter the name of your playlist.
Find the routines that work for you
There’s an endless amount of routines for you, so take your time to explore all your options. If you’re wondering what other things Google Assistant can do, try these helpful Google Assistant commands for your Nest smart device.
