Google Home testing ‘Help me create’ for custom automations

Following AI Camera Search, the Google Home app is testing another Gemini-powered feature with “Help me create” in the Android app to generate “custom automations to help you connect and control your smart home more conveniently.” 

This is basically a more user-friendly version of the script editor’s Help me script. You can say “Turn on all lights at sunset,” Help me sleep better,” or “Save energy while I’m away” to get a custom automation, which are different from Personal Routines and has three parts:

• “Starters tell the automation when to begin. Starters can include specific times or device states.”
• “Conditions are optional restrictions on when your automation begins. Conditions are checked each time an automation starts.”
• “Actions are what your automations do, like adjust the speaker volume or turn a light on or off.”

You can have multiple of each in an automation. When you have more that one condition, there are two options:

• Any: The automation starts if any of the selected conditions are met.
• All: The automation starts only if all of the selected conditions are met.

To test Help me create, opt-in to the Public Preview and then open that page. After enabling the “Experimental AI features” toggle, go to the Automations tab > Add FAB > Help me create.

A bottom sheet lets you type or speak out what you want. After it’s generated, you can make changes. Google recommends specific prompts, and other examples include:

• “Turn off the lights at 11 p.m. every night.”
• “Tell everyone when it’s time for dinner through the speaker.”
• “Lock all the doors when everyone’s away.”
• “Set a meditation time reminder.”

Google says “Some devices and features aren’t supported for Help me create yet.” This is still in testing (US English) and not yet widely available.

More on Google Home:

• Nest Hub Max F22 update rolling out with Nest Cam-Home transfer 
• Google Home support for Nest Cam IQ, Hub Max camera rolling out
• Google Home app redesigning media controls, adding ‘Member access’
• Google Home Gemini Extension more widely rolling out