
Google Pixel’s Assistant Can Now Control Your Smart Home - badrealam
https://www.technewsinc.com/google-pixels-assistant-can-control-your-smart-home-367456/
======
IanCal
I just tried this, I don't have a pixel but I _did_ have control over my hue
bulbs. Now I don't.

Sometimes google's releases are utterly baffling to me, I have _no idea_ what
capabilities I have or should have with a variety of their software. Sometimes
it's not released yet, or it is, but on a rolling upgrade so I won't get it
for weeks or it's there but because a language setting is "UK" it's not
enabled and even _then_ it seems like functionality is coming and going.

------
baybal2
A big problem with all those talking speakers - "IOT Hubs" or how they call
them is that people have very little incentive to use them over their phones.

The current wave of smart home devices like Google Home or Echo are nothing
new, similar devices were available from OEMs for years, and no big brand was
willing to sell them for that obvious reason.

Samsung made the right bet to glue all of their smart home offerings to their
smartphones. Google's idea with nest was a miss because nobody was ready to
buy it just to play with specially locked down "Made for Nest" webcams and
other appliances, when everybody can buy a 10$ Chinese webcam that works just
fine by itself.

Same with HomeKit fiasco, nobody really needs overcomplicated platform-
lockdowned appliances that do not work without cloud connectivity and enforced
DRM verification every 24 hours, when "Uncle Liao Electronics" provides what
is a superior alternative in eyes of an average consumer

~~~
pavel_lishin
Does having the assistant always listening on your phone drain the battery any
faster?

~~~
baybal2
It does on phones where voice detection is not ran on a separate chip.

------
croon
> Tni Editorial Team - February 12, 2017

------
diazdeteran
This has been available on the Assistant for over a month already...

~~~
pavel_lishin
Article says:

> _It is unfortunate that the Home Control feature is not available on Pixel
> Phones right now because it was available for a limited edition._

