If you're using Google Assistant to control your smart mop, you probably have to tell it something like "OK Google, ask X to start mopping" or "Hey Google, tell X to clean." Even though this isn't too bad, it means you have to remember exact phrases and give your appliance's service name every time you want to operate your robot cleaner. However, Assistant is now gaining support for mops, which will let you control them directly using more natural commands.

Assistant initially focused on simpler devices such as lights, switches, and thermostats. Even though it couldn't directly control appliances, most manufacturers built services to integrate their products with the digital helper. While this was almost transparent to the user, it required them to call out the service's name to issue their command. It also took a few seconds for Google to "transfer" the request to the provider's platform, which would often answer in a different voice.

To improve the user experience, the company built direct support for appliances such as vacuums, washers, dryers, and dishwashers back in 2017. This allowed owners to talk more naturally to their Google Homes and benefit from a more seamless integration with the products. For instance, I was able to switch from having to say "OK Google, tell Roomba to start cleaning" to a much simpler "Hey Google, start vacuuming."

Google continued to extend support to more products, as it added 16 new devices types in May, including boilers, microwaves, gates, and even showers, because it's always nice to have the water already warmed up for you. It's now adding smart mops to the list, with options to let you start, stop, and pause it, as well as dock it, switch between cleaning modes, locate it, and check its current cleaning cycle. If your mop can recognize different zones, you'll even be able to tell it to clean a specific room through Assistant.

Now that support is live, developers have to start building the integration, which Google has detailed on its Developers site. It may be a short while before your device gets the feature, but since most robot mop manufacturers also build smart vacuums, they should already be familiar with the task. iRobot's new Braava Jet m6 should be one of the first compatible mops, as the iRobot Assistant integration already mentions support for it.