Watch out, Amazon Alexa. Google today announced that "every major device brand" now works with its own voice-activated personal assistant in the US.
The Google Assistant can connect now with more than 5,000 smart home devices—everything from cameras, doorbells, lights, and security systems to thermostats, AC units, air purifiers, vacuums, refrigerators, ovens, and more. That's up from 1,500 compatible devices in January, Google Smart Home Ecosystem Director Michele Turner wrote in a Thursday blog post.
On the entertainment front, Dish Hopper DVRs will soon play nice with Google's virtual helper, too, letting Dish customers with an Assistant-enabled device control their TV with their voice—a feature that's already possible with Alexa.
Plus, controlling your TV using Logitech Harmony Hub-based remotes with Assistant will soon be even easier.
"New, simplified voice commands will let you go directly to your favorite channels, control volume, or pause a show," Turner wrote. "You will no longer need to say 'talk to Logitech' to control your TV, and can use more natural language like 'play channel 4.'"
On the home security front, Assistant notifications will be available on more devices later this year, Turner said. Right now, this feature is only available on the Nest Hello doorbell: If someone rings the bell, Assistant will sound a chime on your smart speaker and give you the option to view the live stream on your phone.
Finally, in the coming months, Assistant will work with "ADT lights and thermostat, Xiaomi lights, Hunter Douglas window treatments, Hisense's H9E Plus and H9100E Plus TVs, Portable AC and dehumidifiers, Arlo security cameras, and new LG appliances," Turner wrote.
If you have yet to jump on the smart home bandwagon, start with a smart speaker, a purchase that often leads people to buy other smart home devices. According to comScore, households with a smart speaker like the Amazon Echo or Google Home are 6.6 times more likely than households without one to also use connected lighting systems, 3.3 times as likely to use home automation hubs, 2.2 times more likely to use connected thermostats, 1.9 times more likely to wear a smartwatch, 1.5 times more likely to own a media streaming device, and 1.4 times more likely to own a smart TV.