118 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2019HERE’S HOW 15 GOOGLE ASSISTANT COMMANDS
You can also make video calls to and
from display-equipped Google Home
devices, such as Lenovo’s Smart Displays
(go.pcworld.com/lnsm) or the JBL Link View
(go.pcworld.com/jblv)—the Google Home
Hub (go.pcworld.com/gghb) famously does
not have an onboard camera (go.pcworld.
com/obcm). Just say “Make a video call to
[name of smart display]” or “Make a video
call to [phone number].” The person you’re
calling will need to have Google Duo
(available for both Android and iOS)
installed on their smartphone (or smart
display, as the case may be).- TRACK A FLIGHT
We’ve all been there: you need to pick
someone up from the airport, but you don’t
know if their flight is on time. Just ask
Google Home “What’s the status of [airline,
flight number]?” - GET A TRANSLATION
The Google Translate app is ideal if you need
a lot of translations, but if you just need a
word or phrase, ask Google Home: “How
do you say [hello, thank you, goodnight...]
in [French, Japanese, Mandarin...]?” You’ll
have your answer immediately. - LISTEN TO RELAXING
SOUNDS
The world can be noisy, and sometimes it’s
easier to cover up the noise than to eliminate
it. If you need to drown out the world,
ask Google Home to play white noise.
You can also ask for other ambient
sounds (go.pcworld.com/ambt),
including rain, thunderstorms, and more.
Be careful how you phrase your request,
though. If you say “Play a thunderstorm,”
Google Assistant might misinterpret your
request and start playing music. A better
command would be “Play the sound of
a thunderstorm.”- TELL ME ABOUT A DAY
Google Home can be useful from the
moment you wake up in the morning. Just
say “Tell me about my day,” and Google
Assistant will do just that. You’ll hear the
time, weather forecast, upcoming calendar
events, reminders, and the top news stories.
It really ties everything together—provided,
of course, that you rely on Google Calendar
to manage your schedule. - PLAY A GAME
That’s enough getting things done—
sometimes you just want to have some fun,
and Google Home can be an amusing
diversion. You can jump right into a multi-
choice trivia game by saying “I’m feeling
lucky.” You can play that alone or with
friends. If you say “Play a game,” Google
Home gives you a variety of options,
including Crystal Ball (like a magic 8-ball)
and Mad Libs.