If you’ve just unwrapped a Google Nest smart speaker from Father Christmas, or already have a house hardwired with the hugely-popular Google Home kit, like the Nest Audio and Nest Hub, there are a few festive voice commands that are well worth testing out. We wouldn’t usually recommend Easter Eggs on the 25th, but when they’re the software variant, I think we can all make an exception.
Google Assistant – the chatty AI voice assistant found inside most modern Android handsets, Google Nest Audio, Nest Mini, Nest Hub, and the all-new Chromecast with Google TV – is already a dab hand at organising your calendar, ordering taxis, checking the latest weather conditions and headlines, as well as launching calls to friends and family. However, it seems the clever geeks at Google have also added a truckload of fun new features to celebrate Christmas Day too.
Google is always hard at work improving its virtual assistant. As such, it can be hard to keep track of all the latest functionality.
If you’re trying to impress the family (either in-person or over a Zoom video call) with the latest tricks programmed into the Google Assistant, we’re here to help. Express.co.uk has compiled a list of some of the best new Christmas features (as well as some classics from previous years).
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As well you’ll need to preface any requests to the Google Assistant with either “OK, Google” or “Hey Google”. These phrases act as the ‘On’ switch for the smart home kit and alert the Google Assistant to start listening for a command. If you have Voice Match enabled – this is found inside the Google Home smartphone app on iPhone, iPad and Android – the Assistant is able to offer personalised replies, including appointments from your personal calendar, calls to numbers stored in your contacts book, and more.
So, without further ado, here is the list of everything you need to ask your Google Nest Audio, Nest Hub, or Google Assistant-enabled smartphone over the festive period to impress your friends or family…
- Tell Me A Christmas Joke
- Have I Been Naughty Or Nice?
- How Many Sleeps ‘Till Christmas?
- Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animal
- What’s The Best Christmas Song?
- Call Santa
- What Are Elves’ Four Main Food Groups?
- Do You Want To Build A Snowman?
- What Do Elves Eat At Christmas?
- What’s Happening At The North Pole
- Is Santa Claus Real?
- Tell Me A Christmas Fact
- What Is Christmas?
- Sing A Christmas Carol
- Where’s Father Christmas?
- What Are Santa’s Reindeer Called?
- Tell Me A Christmas Story
- What’s The Best Christmas Song?
- Where Does Santa Live?
- Give Me A Christmas Sound
- Talk To Santa’s Hotline
- Interview A Reindeer
- How Long Until New Years?
- Give Me A Christmas Memory
