Is it possible to combine Amazon Alexa and Google Home assistants?

Many of us just use a smart assistant because we assume that’s the best and most convenient way to do things. Furthermore, is it possible to use two brands of smart assistants at the same time? More specifically, is it possible to combine Amazon Alexa and Google Home in one home?

Is it possible to combine Amazon Alexa and Google Home assistants?

This is a question that tends to come up repeatedly. This is because some people already have Google devices at home and end up turning to Alexa and vice versa. But before we look at the question of compatibility or not, there are a few things that are important to know.

The first question to ask here is: is it worth using Amazon Alexa and Google Home together?

Before we get into this, it’s important to note that Amazon’s smart speaker devices are called Echo, but the smart assistant software that powers them is called Alexa. We will use both terms here as they are often used interchangeably. The same goes for Google Home, a smart assistant software, and Google Nest, the company’s range of smart speakers.

The answer to the previous question depends on your lifestyle and preferences. If you like certain features of the Echo, but also like what’s offered by your Google Nest, you might want to enjoy the best of both worlds. Maybe you like listening to Amazon Music and getting weather reports through Alexa, but you think Google Home works best when controlling your other smart home devices.

Since Alexa is compatible with more smart devices than Google Home, you may prefer the latter, but you need the former to support all your smart home devices. Alternatively, you may already have an Amazon Echo and a Google Home speaker and want to make the most of each. After all, you don’t want a speaker you paid money for to be gathering dust when it could be helping you in your everyday life.

Whatever the reason, using Alexa and Google together can be useful. But does Google Nest work with Alexa?

There isn’t just one way to use Google Home and Amazon Alexa assistants side by side.

Third-party applications

But to use Google Home and Alexa together, it’s helpful to link each device to a third-party smart home hub.

Take Samsung’s SmartThings, for example. This is a smart home hub that lets you control all your smart technology from one place. You can use the SmartThings app on your computer or smartphone to see all your smart devices, connect with each other, make changes, and more.

The SmartThings app is completely free to use and Google Nest and Alexa devices are supported. Simply add the Google and Alexa smart assistant devices you want to use to the SmartThings app and you can control them both from there.

There are other apps you can use to link Google Home and Alexa, such as Yeti and Home Assistant.

But what about a direct connection? Is it possible to connect Amazon Alexa and Google Home without a third-party app?

If you want to connect Alexa and Google Home directly, go to the Devices section of the Alexa app. Then select Add device (+). Next, you will need to select the type of device you are adding.

Make sure your Google Home device’s Bluetooth is turned on so it can be identified by the Alexa app.

When you find the Google device you want to pair with Alexa, click it to start the connection. If there are no technical problems, everything will be connected.

Should you limit yourself to a voice assistant?

If you currently only use one type of voice assistant and are perfectly happy with what you get, there’s probably no need to complicate things by adding a separate assistant to your smart home.

However, no smart assistant is perfect, so it is more than understandable if you prefer some features in one and others in another. Sometimes Google Home is slow, but Alexa is quite fast. Google Home offers multiple voice modes, while Alexa offers a female voice.

Whatever the specifics, if you want to use your Amazon Alexa and Google Home assistants together, there’s nothing wrong with doing so. Just make sure you don’t overwhelm yourself with a huge list of different smart assistants, as it can easily become too complicated.