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The Google Home news feature compiles all your favorite news networks to help you play the information that interests you the most on your smart speaker or smartphone. This is how I configure, customize, and interact with Google Home for news.
How to Customize Your News Sources with Google Assistant
Google Assistant works within your Google Home app, and you canuse Google Assistant to keep up to date with the latest newswith a customized news feed that suits your preferences.
For example, my current feed has Reuters TV for general news, the BBC News Summary for world news, CNBC Tech Check for the latest technology news, and New York Times—The Daily for the news in brief.
You can order these according to how you wish to play the news and skip channels using the skip button or voice commands to move on to your next bulletin. Follow these steps to customize your news feed in Google Home:
Playing News From Local Networks
News from local networks isn’t as well organized as Google’s suggested stations in the Home app, and Google’s default local news options are limited. To access local news, repeat the previous steps from 1 to 5 to return to theNews sourceslibrary inSettings, and do the following:
Screenshot by Jack Mitchell - no attribution required
Useful Ways to Interact With Google News
Once Google Home’s news feed is correctly configured, you shouldn’t have to touch your Android device to control its basic functions. Google also offers powerful automation to help you in your day-to-day activities, including using your device as an alarm to wake up to your Google Home News feed.
Helpful Voice Commands for Google News
As with many smart devices, Google Home incorporates voice commands to quickly and easily navigate your Google Home library and control your device’s functions. I find that the following commands come in handy when using Google Home for news:
Waking Up to Your Google Home News Feed
Many Google Home users were dismayed when the company removed media, music, and radio alarms from Google Assistant in early 2024. However, all is not lost! You can use Google Routines to wake up to your Google News feed, music, and other media.
Follow these steps to set up a Google Routine for your news feed:
Which Speakers Are Best for Playing Google News?
Google’s native devices are, somewhat unsurprisingly, ideal for playing your Google Home news feed. I use a second-generationGoogle Nest Hubto wake me up with news in the morning, and it has proved to be an excellent choice, with touchscreen functionality, voice commands, and sleep tracking capabilities, amongthe Nest Hub’s many useful features.
Other Google models include the flagship Google Nest Max and the more affordableGoogle AudioandNest Minismart speakers. However, Google Nest speakers are not the only option available if you want to get the most out of your Google Home news setup.
Other excellent smart speakers with Google Assistant integration include theSonos Oneand theJBL Authentics 300. While they are more expensive, these are often superior to Google’s offerings in terms of sound quality and portability.
Google Home is highly versatile, and the basic functionality is the same across all devices once your Home app is connected. This means that you can easily connect to other compatible smart speakers if you are away from home or have several placed around the house.
