8 Ways to Use Google Home in the Bedroom

Google Home can do a lot of things around the house for you, from walking you through recipes in the kitchen to acting as your translator for guests in the living area. If there is one room where this smart speaker is most useful, it is definitely the bedroom.

Here are some great ways to use Google Home or Google Nest right from your bedside.

1. Create an Alarm

gray google nest mini with graphic lines coming out of the speaker

Setting an alarm is one of the most obvious and practical uses for a Google Home or Nest speaker in the bedroom. With this feature, you won't have to fumble around on your phone just to create an alarm. Just say, "Hey Google, wake me up at 5 a.m. on Tuesday," or "OK Google, create an alarm for one hour."

You can also change the sound of your alarm to a cartoon character or your favorite song. Other useful things you should know about Google Home alarms are that you can cancel, snooze, and check them and change the alarm volume and time whenever you wish.

2. Listen to Audiobooks

Unfortunately, Audible isn't native to Google Home, so you won't be able to command your speaker to play an audiobook for you while you drift off to sleep. However, the good news is that there is a workaround you can do, thanks to the power of casting.

Simply cast the audio of your Android device to your speaker, then choose which audiobook to play from your Audible app. Google Home will then act as a regular speaker in this case.

3. Play Ambient Sounds

man reading a book in bed with bedside lamp on

Google Home's ambient noise feature is a godsend for people who like to work and sleep with some relaxing noise in the background. It comes with 14 different sound effects, including forest, fireplace, river, and thunderstorm sounds.

To trigger this feature, tell Google Home to help you relax. It will then play a random sound from the 14 built-in effects. If you like to use a particular sound, just say, "OK Google, play nature sounds."

Take note that the ambient noise will play for 12 hours without stopping. So if you want to turn it off automatically, add a certain amount of time at the end of your command (e.g. "Hey Google, play water sounds for 30 minutes.")

4. Find Your Phone

Is your room so messy that you often misplace your phone? Or perhaps you've just had a long day and couldn't remember where you put your phone after getting home?

Don't worry, Google Home can help you locate your missing device in a matter of seconds. Say, "OK Google, find my phone." If your device is within hearing range, you can immediately notice its ringing sound.

There are some caveats to this feature, though. The phone itself should be turned on and is either connected to the Wi-Fi or mobile data for Google to find it.

5. Play Games

There are tons of Google Home commands for mini-games that you can use for entertainment, especially when you're having friends for a sleepover. You have Song Quiz, Trivia Crack, Mad Libs, Crystal Ball, Party Card Game, Would You Rather, and even Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

If you find these too childish, you can always just have a conversation with Google Home and ask it silly questions like:

Where's Waldo?
Can you rap?
Do you speak Morse code?

6. Control Your Smart Devices

Have you ever experienced a time when you're already comfortably lying in your bed, and then you realize that you forgot to turn off the lights? It happens more often than you think, and you're left with the tough decision of whether to sleep with the lights on or get up to turn them off.

Luckily for you, you won't have to pick either one. Just tell Google Home to switch the lights off—it's that easy.

In the morning, Google Home can also help you power on the coffee machine and toaster as you get ready to go to work.

7. Set a Timer

dark gray google nest mini with hourglass graphics

If you're an avid user of the Pomodoro technique to make you more productive, you'll be happy to know that there's an easy way to practice this without having to manually set a timer or download a Pomodoro app.

You can just tell your Google Home to set a timer for 25 minutes, or however long you prefer. It will automatically ring after the set time, and you can create another timer for your five-minute break.

This is more efficient than having to go through your phone and getting tempted to scroll through TikTok.

8. Relax to Some Music

There's nothing better than relaxing on your bed after a long day of work while your favorite songs fill the room. That's exactly one of the most basic uses for Google Home.

You can party it out in your room anytime by just saying, "Hey Google, play the latest Olivia Rodrigo album." It will then retrieve the songs from the music service you've previously connected (e.g. Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music.)

Playing music from your Google Home speaker also works great when you want some background sounds as you finish that report or drift off to sleep.

9. Get Info About Your Day

Google Home's functionalities go way beyond being an alarm clock and timer. It can serve as your personal assistant, too. By just saying, "OK Google, tell me about my day," Google Home will tell you about the weather, your calendar schedule for the day, reminders, upcoming birthdays, whether your phone battery is low, and then a few of the latest news.

This is the default sequence of actions, but you can easily customize this in your Google Home app (for Android or iOS) Routine settings. You can add an action to adjust your lights or thermostat, send a text, or make an announcement.

10. Create Reminders

If you're someone who easily forgets things but hates having a bunch of sticky notes on your bedroom desk, then let Google Home be your second brain. You can tell it important stuff like where you hid the key to the safe or what the name of your new neighbor is. Just say, "OK Google, remember (important stuff)."

When you need this information, just ask your speaker, "Hey Google, where did I keep the key to the safe?" This way, you won't forget anything ever again.