Send a text using Google Home
Google Home might tell you it can’t send a text message, but MARIE BLACK has found a way. Here’s how
Regardless of what it tells you, it is possible to send a text message via Google Home using the free app IFTTT, as we’ll explain below. ) There are a couple of catches to this method:
• All text messages are sent from the phone number of the primary Google account holder associated with your Google Home, regardless of whether you have
set up multiple user accounts. (This has led to some very interesting text conversations with myself.) • You’ll need to set up an IFTTT applet for each contact you want to be able to text, so it’s best used for your most frequent contacts.
Send a text on Google Home using IFTTT
1. You’ll need to download the free IFTTT app from fave.co/2I83tar and then either sign into an existing account or create one using your Facebook or Google account or your email address.
2. Select the My Applets tab at the bottom of the screen, then select the ‘+’ symbol at the top of the page. Click on the blue link that says ‘+this’.
3. IFTTT will serve up a bunch of apps it can integrate with. Scroll down to and select Google Assistant. In the window that pops up choose ‘Say a phrase with a text ingredient’.
In the text field below ‘What do you want to say?’ enter the phrase you will use as your command, for example ‘Text Michael’. You might want to add a variation to this phrase, for example ‘Send a text to Michael’ which you can pop in the field below. In both cases end your phrase with the $ symbol. This tells IFTTT that more information will be given in place of this dollar symbol. At the bottom of the page you can specify a response Google Home should say in order to confirm it has understood your request, for example ‘Okay’, then tap the tick icon at the top of the screen.
5. Now choose the blue link that says ‘+that’ and scroll down to and select Android SMS. When prompted to select an action, choose ‘Send an SMS’.
6. Enter the phone number to which you want to send the text message, including the country code. The field below this should be prefilled with the message ‘Text Field’; if it is not then you did
not select the option to ‘Say a phrase with a text ingredient’ in Step 3. Tap the tick icon at the top of the screen when you’re done.
7. IFTTT will provide a summary of your applet. Disable the slider to ‘Receive notifications when this applet runs’ (unless you particularly want to get a message every time someone uses it), then tap Finish. You will be given the option to ‘Check now’ to ensure you have set up the app correctly.
8. In order to send a text message from Google Home, you now simply say “Okay Google” followed by the phrase you specified in Step 4. In our case, we say “Okay Google, text Michael.” You should then immediately relay the message you want to send – if you pause too long Google Home will tell you it doesn’t know how to do that yet. It should respond with the message “Okay” or whatever you specified in step 4, then send the text message to your contact.