Voice Commands with Livy & Google Assistant

If you feel like you are the only one that isn’t using voice commands these days, have no fear. Voice command is exploding in popularity, but everyone has to start somewhere. We’ll start with the basics and give you some tips on how to incorporate it into your everyday life.

What is Google Assistant?

Google Assistant is Google’s artificial intelligence-driven virtual assistant. It is used as a voice command system. It is preliminary used and available on mobile devices and smart home appliances, but can also be found in smart cars, refrigerators, headphones and speakers. It is Google’s version of Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana. Of the four, it is considered the most advanced, widely used and dynamic.

It was launched in 2016 and was a part of Google Now. Google Now eventually died but Google kept its Assistant and further developed its range of features. 

Google Assistant can search the internet, schedule alarms and events for you in your calendar, adjust your settings on your device, and show you information from your Google account.

Google Assistant is available on over 1 billion devices and is used by over 500 million users monthly -- a staggering number if one considers how relatively new voice assistants are.

What is a virtual assistant and how does it work?

A virtual assistant is a software agent that can perform tasks and answer questions, and in the case of Google Assistant, can do this via speech recognition software.

With a virtual assistant, users can ask questions, control smart home appliances, and have media, such as songs and movies, cued up and played. It can also perform basic tasks such as email, to-do lists, and calendars as well.

While one can communicate with Google Assistant via text and writing, its greatest achievement is to do everything via voice command.

What is the reason behind the shift towards voice commands?

Although tech companies are famous for presenting us with things they think we might need, consumer demands still reigns supreme when it comes to where we are headed with our technology, and the technology behind voice recognition has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years to keep up with interest.

Already now in 2021 there are approximately 4.2 billion digital voice command devices being used around the world, with experts expecting that to double by 2024 -- more voice command devices that the entire world’s population.

In the second quarter of 2020 alone, at the beginning of the pandemic and when everything moved indoors, there were 30 million smart speakers sold. And in the last quarter of 2019, over 55 million!

What is a voice command?

A voice command is a simple direction that is aimed at the virtual assistant, in this case, Google Assistant. Often a “wake word” needs to be spoken first in order to activate Google Assistant. Google Assistant’s “wake word” is “Ok, Google.”

Therefore, once Google Assistant is properly installed, one just needs to say the wake word and off you go. Here are some examples of what one can do:

“Ok Google, what is the weather like today?”
“Ok Google, call Catherine.”
“Ok Google, schedule a meeting with Matthew for Thursday at 11 am.”

Can I use Google Assistant with Livy Protect?

Yes. Livy Protect now supports Google Assistant, which means you can use Google Assistant to operate your Livy Protect.

With Google Assistant, you can turn on and off your Livy Protect, and also ask for the temperature, humidity, and the battery status.

If you haven’t connected Google Assistant to your Livy Protect yet, here you can find a helpful video that walks you through the steps.

What are some things I can do with Google Assistant and Livy?

Here are a few things you can do to incorporate Google Assistant and Livy into your daily routine:

• Check the weather. At the same time, you can see what the temperature is like within your home or the location you have your Livy. Just say “Ok Google, what is the temperature in the hallway?” or whatever location name you used for your Livy, and you can get the current temperature.
• Check your air humidity on a regular basis in your home. This can be particularly important in the winter months, when high indoor air humidity can lead to mold and mildew. Someone at home had a shower, or perhaps you are air drying your laundry on a laundry rack? Livy Protect can give you precise measurements, and the Healthy Air Guide will notify you if these values are too high or too low.
• Make a morning routine with Google Assistant. Within the settings of Google Assistant, when you wake up in the morning, or at particular points in the day, Google Assistant can tell you the weather, play the news, and go over your daily calendar with you. This is also the perfect time to activate your Livy, or when you come home from work, deactivate your Livy once again.
• Check your battery status of your Livy on a regular basis. It’s good to make sure the battery of your Livy is full so it can function properly and inform you if anything is amiss.

If you have any questions regarding Google Assistant, drop us a comment in the comment section below!