Connecting Google Home to Bluetooth Speakers
Consumer electronics designers are, and have been, on a perpetual quest to give users the most streamlined experience imaginable.
At this point in time it seems like modern-day designers have exceeded the bounds of what most of us could have ever imagined in the first place. Think about it, there is an app for literally everything; just by downloading a simple program onto your phone or tablet, your life can become easier. Wearable technology, like Apple Watch, and smart speakers, like Google Home, tie all of your electronics together to make technology and user-friendliness a lifestyle rather than a rare luxury. Today we are going to talk a little more about one of the leading products, what it does, and how Audioengine can take it one step further; that product is Google Home.
What Is Google Home?
Offically, this piece of technology is touted as a “Smart Speaker and Home Assistant.”
A smart speaker is one of those sleek futuristic speakers that sits on your friend’s kitchen counter, plays whatever music someone tells it to, and sometimes has a snarky robotic comeback to your sarcastic remarks. There are a number of big brands making smart speakers (some of which we’ll discuss in other articles) and all of them have their pros and cons. One “pro” to the Google Home is the “Home Assistant” part. Google Home has an accompanying downloadable app that allows users to customize how the device interacts with and controls their home; lights, thermostats, coffee makers, and pretty much anything else can be controlled by Google Home and accessories. Once you have all of your desired devices properly connected and configured, turning them on and off is just one voice command away... how much easier can life get?
When it comes to music, smart speakers make calling up the right tune an absolute breeze. Google Home can control apps such as Spotify, YouTube, and iHeartRadio among others, so you can tell it to play just about any song in the world. Google Home will even call up playlists you’ve saved within your music streaming apps, and you can tell the device to increase and decrease volume, pause, skip, and any other command you would typically give a media player. There is just one drawback; while Google Home offers a few different sizes (featuring different speakers), the product’s focus is not audiophile-grade sound quality. For that, we need to bring Audioengine into the mix.
How Can Audioengine Take Google Home Further?
You’re taking a step up in the world of consumer electronics and you’ve decided to purchase Google Home; you care about user-experience and you strive to stay ahead of the pop culture curve. That doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a quality listening experience. As I always say, what good is having access to every song in the world if you’re just going to play them through an inadequate sound system? That’s like sharpening a hunting knife so you can cut hot butter with it.
Luckily, the Google Home App (iTunes | Google Play) allows users to send audio to external Bluetooth speakers. Whether it’s the humble B2 Wireless Speaker, or a full-fledged pair of active Audioengine speakers such as the A5+ Wireless, Google Home is capable of transmitting your beloved music to your sonic system. Bam!!--we just completed the full circle of user-friendliness and ear-friendliness. It may sound complicated merely by description, but it’s actually extremely easy to configure, just follow the quick steps below:
- Download and open the Google Home App on your phone or tablet.
- Navigate to the “Devices” tab within the app
- Tap “Settings” in the devices submenu
- Scroll down to “Default Music Speaker” and tap “Pair Bluetooth Speaker”
- Select your Audioengine speaker – and you’re done!
Take control of your music.
Now you’re ready to shout voice commands all over the house and rock out while you make dinner, host a party, or do whatever it is you do. You can even connect multiple sets of Audioengine wireless speakers for multi-room audio, by creating “groups” in the Google Home app (under that same “Devices” tab).
Isn’t it nice that designers have created all this awesome technology for us? Now I’m just spit-balling, here, but -- what if one day someone will make some kind of like a smart speaker... except it lives in your brain and reads your mind. Then you can just think about how good your favorite tunes will sound through a pair of Audioengine wireless speakers, and voila!
