Why bother grabbing your phone to set the alarm when you can just command Google Home or Google Nest to make one for you? Creating alarms is one of the simplest but most useful features of smart speakers and displays.

And unlike your average alarm clock, these smart devices do more than just a basic wake-up call. Let's take a look at some things you need to know to make the most out of your Google Home alarms.

1. Setting Alarms

hand placing alarm clock on laptop

It's pretty straightforward to set an alarm with Google Home, but there are plenty of customization options available. For your peace of mind, you can create your alarm every day before going to bed. If you find that too much of a hassle, you can set up a recurring alarm to go off every weekday.

For one-time alarms, simply say a variation of any of the following voice commands:

  • Hey Google, set an alarm for 6:45 p.m.
  • OK Google, wake me up at five tomorrow morning
  • Hey Google, set an alarm in 45 minutes

Meanwhile, creating recurring alarms is as easy as saying, “Hey Google, set an alarm every [day] at [time].” If you've previously set a 7 a.m. alarm and want it to repeat every weekday, just say, “OK Google, make the 7 a.m. alarm repeat every weekday.”

Another customization for your alarms is adding a name for each one. This is particularly handy if you already got a bunch of alarms set. Simply say, "OK Google, create an alarm for 10 p.m. called ‘take out the trash.’”

If the default alarm tone is too boring for you, you can even change your alarm sounds to your favorite song or character. Say, “Hey Google, set a Taylor Swift alarm for 10 a.m. today,” or “OK, Google, create a Lego Friends alarm for 4:30 on Saturday morning.”

Every time you successfully create an alarm, Google Home will repeat the day and time of your alarm for you to check if it's set correctly.

2. Checking Active Alarms

Forgot if you've already set an alarm for that early hike tomorrow? With Google Home, you can conveniently check what alarms you have already made. There are two ways to see the active alarms on your smart device: through voice commands and from the Google Home app on your Android or iOS device.

When checking your alarms with your voice, say:

  • Hey Google, what are my alarms?
  • OK Google, show me my alarms
  • Hey Google, when is my next alarm?

Google Home will then read out your alarms to you. If you’re nowhere near your Google Home device, you can still check it via the Google Home app. Open the Google Home app. On the home screen, select your device, then tap the gear icon at the top right. Navigate to Audio > Alarms & timers to see the active alarms you’re previously created.

3. Canceling Alarms

So you set an alarm for every weekday, but school is finally out, and you no longer need your alarms. No worries, you can easily cancel any existing alarm with the following voice commands:

  • Hey Google, cancel the 7 a.m. alarm for every weekday
  • OK Google, turn off the alarm called [name]
  • Hey Google, delete all alarms

You can also use your Google Home app to cancel alarms. Open the Google Home app and tap on your device on the home screen.

At the top right of the screen, click Settings (a gear icon) and select Audio > Alarms & timers. All your active alarms will be displayed here. To delete a specific alarm, tap the X icon beside it, and then tap Delete to confirm.

4. Stopping a Ringing Alarm

When a Google Home alarm goes off, it rings continuously for 10 minutes. If you don’t want to wake your roommates up with the annoying sound of your alarm, you can turn it off by simply saying, “Stop.” No need for the usual “Hey Google” prompt.

This only affects the ringing alarm and not others you may have previously set. Other commands for stopping an alarm include:

  • Hey Google, stop the alarm
  • Okay Google, turn off the alarm

You can also turn off ringing alarms using your Google Home device's physical buttons. If you have a Google Nest Audio, Nest Mini, or Nest Wi-Fi router, tap on the center of the device to stop your alarm. Similarly, touch the top area of a Google Home or Home Max. For a Google Home Mini, turn off your alarm by pressing and holding either side of the speaker.

If you’re already up and want to stop your ringing alarm while in another room, you can do so from your phone, too. When the alarm starts to buzz, launch the Google Home app. Select your device and tap the gear icon on the top-right corner. Go to Audio > Alarms & timers, then click on the cross icon next to the ringing alarm.

By doing so, you can remotely stop your alarms. However, note that this method essentially deletes the alarm. If you want to use it again, you'll have to create a new one.

5. Snoozing an Alarm

person holding an alarm clock in bed

There are always days when you don't feel like waking up as early as your alarm. On mornings like this, you can always just snooze your alarm.

When your alarm starts blaring, say, “OK Google, snooze.” It then snoozes your alarm for 10 minutes by default.

If 10 minutes still isn’t enough time for you, feel free to snooze the alarm for a longer duration. Say, “Hey Google, snooze the alarm for 12 minutes,” or for whatever duration you prefer.

6. Changing Alarm Volume

At one point, you've probably found your Google Home alarm volume to be too loud or too quiet. However, when you changed the volume settings on your device, the alarm volume remained the same. This is because timers and alarms actually have a separate volume controller.

You can find that setting on your Google Home app. On the home screen, select your device and head to the Settings. Under Audio > Alarms & timers, you can see the alarm’s volume slider. Adjust it accordingly.

You can also use Google Home voice commands like, “Hey Google, set alarm volume to 30.” This will automatically change your alarm’s volume, but your device’s volume settings will not be affected.

7. Changing Alarm Time

So you’ve already created an alarm on your Google Home for that 9 a.m. Zoom call with your client. Great. But then they decided to reschedule the meeting to noon.

Thankfully, you don’t need to go about canceling alarms as you can simply change the time (and even the day) with your Google Home. Just say, “OK Google, change my 9 a.m. alarm to noon.” The Assistant will immediately respond with a confirmation of the change.

Hey Google, Help Me Get Out of Bed

Now that you know how to set up and customize your alarms to your liking, the next step is to create Google Assistant routines involving your alarms.

For instance, you can make a routine where as soon as you dismiss your alarm, the coffee maker automatically turns on, and the Assistant reads to you your events for the day.