Mar. 10th 2020 9:17 am

Google Assistant makes it easy to control your smart home devices, but it’s long lacked support for types of sensors and smoke detectors. Now, that’s finally been added.

An update to Google’s Smart Home Device Type page spotted by Android Police reveals that Assistant now supports a couple of new form factors. Specifically, of sensor-only devices that can detect a number of different conditions.

Previously, Google Assistant’s smart home connections were primarily action-based. Turning off or on lights, smart plugs, vacuums, and others, as well as activating security systems, adjusting thermostats, and more. With the addition of sensors, a whole new world of possibilities opens up.

As it stands right now, though, these devices can only be used to answer questions. For example, a sensor that detects humidity might be able to give you the current conditions with a command. Security systems also get an enhancement here as they can report the individual state of each sensor in the system. Smoke detectors and Carbon Monoxide detectors also get their own categories with this latest update.

The functionality for all of these sensors are pretty limited for now, but in the future, they could easily be used as a trigger for Google Assistant routines or notifications. It’s a fun possibility!

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