116 PCWorld APRIL 2020HERE’S HOW 10 GOOGLE HOME TIPS
“OK, Google, play Mad Libs.” Google
will ask you for words and will use them to fill
in the blanks to create a mad lib.
“OK, Google, play Space Bungalow.”
This is an audio-based choose-your-own-
adventure game in space (well, in a space
bungalow).
“OK, Google, play Truth or Dare.” Let
Google come up with truth-or-dare
questions for you.- LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE
Google Home doesn’t have a native feature
that will teach you a new language, but it’s a
good supplement for language learning.
That’s because Google Home taps into
Google Translate, so you can use it to translate
words or phrases, or have it act as a real-time
translator. To find the
translation of a word
or phrase, say, “OK,
Google, what’s
[word/phrase] in
[language]?” or “OK,
Google, translate
[word/phrase] to
[language].” To use
Google as a
translator, say, “OK,
Google, be my
translator,” and
Google will ask
which language you
want to translate to.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also
change Google Home’s language to see if it
understands you. To change the language,
open the Google Home app and go to the
settings menu. Scroll down to Google
Assistant Services and tap More Settings.
Under Assistant, tap Languages, and choose
a new language.
Google Home also integrates with some
third-party language learning apps that can
help you practice phrases and review words.
These include Busuu (Spanish), Learn
French, Learn Japanese, Learn Arabic, Learn
German, and Speak Chinese.- STAY HEALTHY
It’s not quite Peloton, but Google Home can
make a decent at-home workout partner. You
Some of the games you can play on Google Home-compatible devices, such
as Mad Libs, have a visual element that makes them even more fun to play on
Google smart displays.