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There are a few ways you can control your TV with your voice, and it all depends on what kit you have. Some newer TVs have Google Assistant built-in so you can talk directly to your TV to do things like change the channel, or adjust the volume.
If you don’t have a TV with Google Assistant, you can still use voice commands through Google Home - you don’t even need a smart TV.
At the moment, there are only a handful of Sony TVs that come with Google Assistant, and if you want to talk directly to your TV, you’ll need one of these.
The good thing about TVs with Google Assistant built-in, is that they can also control other Google Home devices on your network. So if you’re settling down to watch a film and you want to dim your Philips Hue lights, hold the ‘Google Assistant’ button on the TV remote and say “dim the living room lights”.
The only drawback is that you can’t control your Sony TV using other kit like a Google Home speaker, but we do expect this option to become available as the technology improves.
LG has announced that they’ll be sending out Firmware updates for some of their 2018 TVs to add Google Assistant, but you’ll still need to use the mic button on the remote instead of saying “OK Google”.
If you don’t have a TV with Google Assistant built-in, the simplest option is to link your Google Home device to a Chromecast, then you can control it just by talking to your Google Assistant.
If you need help setting up your Chromecast, take a look at our Chromecast setup guide.
To link your kit, you’ll first need to download the Google Home app for Android or iOS to your smartphone or tablet, then follow the steps below:
Go to your Apps list and tap the Google Home app.
Tap Get Started.
Choose the Account you want to use and tap Ok.
Tap Allow to let Google access your device’s location, then tap Next.
That’s your Google Home app setup and it should automatically find your Chromecast, as long as it’s connected to the same network.
Now you’ve linked Google Home to your Chromecast, here are a few commands to try:
If you’ve got time why not take a look at all of the Google Home commands that you can use for your Chromecast.
Controlling your Chromecast using your voice is great, but it doesn’t give you full control over your TV. You can’t turn it on or off, change the channel, or adjust the volume - this is where the Harmony Smart Hub can help.
The Logitech Harmony Smart Hub lets you control all of your kit through either a single app, or even using voice commands through your Google Home devices.
If you’ve already got a Harmony Hub, here’s how to get it linked to your Google Home.
Before you start, you’ll need to download the Google Home app to your phone. Get it here for Android or iOS.
Use the voice command “Ok Google, ask Harmony to link my account”.
Open the Google Home app, and you’ll see ‘Link to Harmony’, tap Link and sign in using your Logitech Harmony account details.
Set up activities you want to control, for example, you might also want to use Harmony to switch on a games console or control your smart lights.
Add your favourite channels, then tap Link Account to finish adding the Harmony Hub to your Google Home network.
Now that it’s been added to your Home Network, your Google Assistant will recognise commands that include the word ‘Harmony’.
Don’t forget that Harmony is the piece of kit that’s doing the work. It’s getting instructions from Google Home, so your commands need to say “Ok Google, ask Harmony to…” - here are a few to try:
What’s great about Harmony is how versatile it is, it can work with all kinds of kit. With a single phrase, you can turn on your TV, games console, lower your electric blinds, and dim your smart lights, without having to lift a finger.
Hopefully, that’s helped you get to grips with controlling your TV using your Google Assistant. If you’d like help with anything else, you can contact one of our Team Knowhow experts here.
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