Hey Google, give me 13 tips and tricks for a spooky smart home this Halloween
If you love Halloween and you have Google Home or Nest devices, you're in luck. Your Halloween is about to get a whole lot more exciting than scary costumes and bags of sweets and candy.
Google has revealed a number of tips and tricks that will help you turn your home into a spooky smart home this October from special ringtones on the Nest Hello, to costume ideas from the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max.
Here are 13 tips and tricks for Google Nest devices that will add an extra scare to your home.
Enable spooky ringtones on Nest Hello
From 22 October to early November, Nest Hello users will be able to change their doorbell chime to a cackling witch, a ghost, a vampire or a scary monster. Google will also be adding winter ringtones towards the end of November, just in time for the holiday season.
Open the Nest app > click on your Nest Hello feed > Tap on the settings cog in the top right corner. You'll be able to change your chime from the settings when the update lands. Sadly, it's just in the US.
Use Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max for costume inspiration
If you're going to do fancy dress, then you really should do it right. To ensure no half-hearted attempts, you can ask Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max for some inspiration. Just say, "Ok Google, show me DIY Halloween costume videos" or "Hey Google, show me Halloween makeup videos on YouTube".
There's plenty of choice to scroll through to make sure you don't go to the party dressed wrapped in tissue paper.
Use Google Home speakers to play spooky music
Having a Halloween party, or just want to make sure your home is one of the best in the neighbourhood for trick or treaters? Say "Hey Google, get spooky" and any Google Nest or Home speakers you have will play an hour-long playlist of "spooktacular" sounds and music. Yes, we did just replicate Google's use the word spooktacular.
Play your favourite scary movie on Chromecast
Found your favourite scary movie on Netflix and have Chromecast? Say, "Ok Google, play [insert scary movie here] from Netflix [or other compatible service] on [name of TV with Chromecast plugged in]".
If you have multiple Google Home or Nest speakers, you can group them together for sound effects all around your home too for extra spookiness.
Share Halloween fun with family and friends
Got a Nest Hub Max and want to show the grandparents the kids all dressed up in their excellent outfits you've made? Use Google Duo to video call family members from the Nest Hub Max. Say "Hey Google, video call grandma" and the built-in Nest camera will give them a lovely view of those great outfits you've spent hours on.
Use reminders to make sure Halloween goes off without a glitch
All Google Home and Nest speakers support reminders. To make sure you don't forget anything in the run up to Halloween, such as buying cupcakes for school, or making sure you have everything you need for the DIY costumes, say "Ok Google, remind me to [insert reminder]" and your smart devices will make sure you don't forget.
Add sweets and candy to your shopping list
You could have the best decorated house on the street, but you'll still need sweets and candy if you want to be a good Halloween Samaritan. To make sure you don't forget to buy sweets or candy, say "Hey Google, create a list," which you can then name "Candy/Sweet Shopping," and your Google Assistant will ask what you want to add.
Learn a festive recipe from Nest Hub
There's plenty of traditional bread recipes for Halloween, but you can also use this trick for Thanksgiving and Christmas too. Say "Hey Google, show me recipes for Pan de Muerto" to your Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max display and see a list of traditional Day of the Dead bread recipes to choose from and follow along hands-free.
Protect your home
The Nest Outdoor and Nest Hello cameras notify you when they detect activity outside your home. Both devices offer night vision and both have talk and listen so you can see and talk to any trick or treaters before they get to your door, or deter any trespassers.
Use Quiet Mode on Nest Hello for some peace
If you have had enough of trick or treaters for the night, or you aren't in the mood to be disturbed, then the Nest Hello has a quiet mode that you can switch on so your doorbell doesn't ring.
Open the Nest app > Tap on the Nest Hello video feed > Tap on the Quiet Mode tab in the bottom right corner > Select the duration of time you want Quiet Mode on for.
Find a one-stop shop
Forgotten something? Don't worry, you can ask your Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max to show you shops nearby, allowing you to pick up whatever you've missed off your list. Just say, "Hey Google, show me Halloween stores nearby" to your smart displays to see options near you.
Once you tap on one, you can say "Hey Google, call this store" to give them a ring (in the US, UK, and Canada only).
Set up a ghostly guest network
If you have Google Wifi, you can create a separate network for party guests and give it a fun name and password, like "Hocus Pocus".
Use smart plugs and smart lights for extra spook
Google Home and Nest devices are compatible with over 30,000 partners in the US, from Philips Hue to Ikea. To create the ultimate party, you can ask Google to turn smart lights on or off, or plug a smoke machine into a smart plug, for example, and ask Google to control that too.
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