I'm thinking of getting Google Home, already have an Amazon Echo

[hal1]

Your thoughts on whether it's worth adding a Google home, I already have an Amazon Echo.

I use it mostly for TuneIn Radio, love the sleep timer, adding notes to shopping list updates Evernotes automatically, Play music from Amazon Prime, timers, weather, sport scores and upcoming games.

I don't do use any chromecast or audio/visual type stuffor such. My only smart home device is a Sensi thermostat that works directly with Alexa without a hub.

Can you see the usefulness of me adding a Google Home if I'm just going to use it for map directions, and other Google searches that require me to pick up my phone that Alexa does not perform well at?

I'm really waiting for the day when it can read my Gmail, and maybe even Yahoo email.

It will just be another toy, but I'd least like to be a toy that I would get some use out of

 

[JayinKy]

Get the Google Home. Give it a try if you don't like it take it back.

I have had an Echo since the beginning and I love it. I also have 3 Google Home devices and love them as well.

My favorite thing with Google Home is that I can play the same song on all three of my devices at the same time. That is huge for me. Echo can not do that. Other than that I think the Echo runs circles around Google Home but I am optimistic that Google will keep adding features that will compete with the Echo.

 

[Cant Miss]

Your thoughts on whether it's worth adding a Google home, I already have an Amazon Echo.

I wrote up a comparison here.

 

[hal1]

I've completely read up on the differences. I was more addressing whether this would add additional fun to my life, considering I don't use hubs, Google play, stream, or Chrome cast.

I wanted more of just like having Google AI without having to pick up my phone. My Echo already handles my tune in radio, timers,weather, sport and such.

 

[Cant Miss]

I wanted more of just like having Google AI without having to pick up my phone.

IMHO Google Home is currently pretty lame as an extension of your phone.

 

[hal1]

So would you say that it is not as good / responsive / useful as the Okay Google on my phone. (Goggle running on 7.1 nougat)?

 

[Cant Miss]

Did you read the article I posted?

 

[hal1]

Did you read the article I posted?

Yes, and they didn't see where it compares the Google home to the Google function on my phone

 

[garak0410]

I have two Echo's and a Dot. I just received my Google Home today. As a music lover, I am already disappointed in that music has to cast from your phone rather than play from the cloud. Maybe I missed that in reviews but was not expecting that. Plus, when I do stream, it won't play from my Google Music library but from Google Music in general. It will do my playlists. But even then, it seems to crash on my phone (casting) and stop playing after a few songs.

But going to use it at the office for a good while so I can give a well informed opinion of it.

UPDATE - I did turn off WiFi on my phone and it does play your Google Music without casting. SO my next question is where is the setting to turn off "Casting When On Same Wifi" default?

 

[Richard Servello]

I have two Echo's and a Dot. I just received my Google Home today. As a music lover, I am already disappointed in that music has to cast from your phone rather than play from the cloud. Maybe I missed that in reviews but was not expecting that. Plus, when I do stream, it won't play from my Google Music library but from Google Music in general. It will do my playlists. But even then, it seems to crash on my phone (casting) and stop playing after a few songs.

But going to use it at the office for a good while so I can give a well informed opinion of it.

UPDATE - I did turn off WiFi on my phone and it does play your Google Music without casting. SO my next question is where is the setting to turn off "Casting When On Same Wifi" default?

You don't even need a phone. Just tell it what to play.

 

[casiouser]

Everything should be set up through the Google Home App. Choose the top left menu button, then music, then choose Google Music as the default. This works for me.

 

[Richard Servello]

I have both. Serve different functions.

 

[Stevenmc8602]

I have two Echo's and a Dot. I just received my Google Home today. As a music lover, I am already disappointed in that music has to cast from your phone rather than play from the cloud. Maybe I missed that in reviews but was not expecting that. Plus, when I do stream, it won't play from my Google Music library but from Google Music in general. It will do my playlists. But even then, it seems to crash on my phone (casting) and stop playing after a few songs.

But going to use it at the office for a good while so I can give a well informed opinion of it.

UPDATE - I did turn off WiFi on my phone and it does play your Google Music without casting. SO my next question is where is the setting to turn off "Casting When On Same Wifi" default?

It's not casting from your phone unless you go to your phone and cast it... What you are seeing is a remote that opens on your phone... You can turn it off if you don't like it, I did

 

[Stevenmc8602]

I just don't see the big hype with the echo... I bought one for my mother and hated that I had to set it up and pick a skill for it to do stuff... Maybe I just wasn't used to it but it just irritated me that it seems to depend so much on the app

 

[marcb11]

I just don't see the big hype with the echo... I bought one for my mother and hated that I had to set it up and pick a skill for it to do stuff... Maybe I just wasn't used to it but it just irritated me that it seems to depend so much on the app

Not entirely true, you need to use the Alexa app no more than the Home app, save for enabling some one time features, which is the same for the Home, it's just that the Echo has a metric crap load more features than the Home right now.

I have a total of six Echo devices and use the app MAYBE once a month to enable a THIRD PARTY skill or add new WeMo device, even then I don't have to use the app to add a WeMo device, only to add groups if I want, the echo works with WeMo natively.

The echo out of the box, untouched does so much more than the Home does out of the box, and even more if you want to enable skills or use IFTT, then again it is a 20 second setting and never touch the app again afair.

So either you don't understand the value of the Echo, how it works and it's relationship with the app or frankly these devices, be it an echo or a Home are not for you. IMHO of course.

 

[Stevenmc8602]

Lol I have a home and Philips hue lights...I do just fine with it... I did say I possibly just didn't understand the echo bc is different than the home and I was already used to the home... But I didn't have to do anything on the app but link my Netflix account and tell which lights were where in my place other than that I didn't have to pick any "skills" or anything they are just enabled on the home whenever they become available so Idk what more the echo could do natively out the box than home...

Again! I just didn't understand the whole skills thing... I didn't say it wasn't a good device, clearly it is bc ppl keep buying it...

And with the echo it kept sending results or answers to the app where with the home it would just read it out loud... My mother uses my home more when she comes visit me than the echo she has at home... She only ask the echo fit the weather and to play a local radio station

 

[marcb11]

Lol I have a home and Philips hue lights...I do just fine with it... I did say I possibly just didn't understand the echo bc is different than the home and I was already used to the home... But I didn't have to do anything on the app but link my Netflix account and tell which lights were where in my place other than that I didn't have to pick any "skills" or anything they are just enabled on the home whenever they become available so Idk what more the echo could do natively out the box than home...

Again! I just didn't understand the whole skills thing... I didn't say it wasn't a good device, clearly it is bc ppl keep buying it...

And with the echo it kept sending results or answers to the app where with the home it would just read it out loud... My mother uses my home more when she comes visit me than the echo she has at home... She only ask the echo fit the weather and to play a local radio station

All my devices speak responses to me, a card is in the app too as a historical list of requests but since the app is never opened I have no need to think about them. I think your echo is set up incorrectly.

The reason you didn't have to pick any skills for Home was because none exist at the moment from Google nor third parties. That will change soon I'm sure and how you enable or disable them remains to be seen but I'd expect it would be via the Home app in some fashion.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

From what I can tell, Google does have skills, but they're automatically enabled. If you go into the app and go to services, you can see a bunch of them. All you do is say ok Google Talk to (insert service here). Some of the services require a login, such as domino's. So basically the same thing as Echo, just a lot less of them. I have both devices and I'll say right now, the Echo is definitely more useful to me. The Home is decent though and I'm sure it'll improve. Knowledge wise it's awesome. It can't do much else better than the Echo though. It's cool how you can do multi room audio but I bet Amazon will add that shortly.

 

[Stevenmc8602]

All my devices speak responses to me, a card is in the app too as a historical list of requests but since the app is never opened I have no need to think about them. I think your echo is set up incorrectly.

The reason you didn't have to pick any skills for Home was because none exist at the moment from Google nor third parties. That will change soon I'm sure and how you enable or disable them remains to be seen but I'd expect it would be via the Home app in some fashion.

Are you sure you have a Google home? There are plenty of "skills" or services you can use they are just automatically enabled... Maybe you should try researching or using it more

But again I'm not disputing that I could be at fault for lack of knowledge on the echo or maybe set it up wrong (even tho I don't know how you can do that) but why it seems as if you are bothered bc I personally have had a better experience with the home vs the echo? I never bad mouth the thing I simply stated my experience with the 2 and said my mother and I found the home easier to operate out of the box

 

[indysteve9]

Go ahead and get the Home device. I have one, and an Echo and two Dots. I had the Amazon devices first for their smart device control in my home. I bought the Google Home because Google has a vastly larger volume of stored knowledge to call on for information. Plus I'm impressed with the sound quality at lower volumes for music. Sometimes I just don't want the "BIG" sound of my home stereo. I just want the smaller sound and the Google Home gives me that. I know the Home device will eventually add more functions, so I can wait.