Most people never look past the basic voice commands.
Google Assistant has a long tail of settings buried across two apps that most users don't know exist. I spent a Tuesday evening figuring this out because I needed my routine to trigger correctly without talking to my phone first. The interface moved things around recently, so this is based on what's actually in front of you now. Don't search for "Assistant settings" in your phone settings. Go to the Google app, tap your profile icon in the top right, then select "Assistant settings." That's the first place most of the useful controls are. The Google Home app handles device-level stuff. You need both apps open at the same time if you want everything configured properly. Under "Voice Match" in Assistant settings, re-enrolling with your actual speaking voice matters more than you'd think. If you wake up and immediately mutter something, the assistant might not recognize you. I had this problem with a family member who shares the same phone frequently. The fix was turning off "Personal Results" for the secondary user profile, which stops Assistant from mixing up their voice with yours. You find that under "Personal Results" inside the same menu.
The standard routines (good morning, good night) are fine for basic tasks. The custom ones are where you waste hours or save them. Go to "Routines" and create one from scratch. You can chain multiple actions together. Here's a setup I use that actually works reliably: Trigger: "Hey Google, I'm home" Actions: Turn on specific lights via Home Controls, set the thermostat, read my calendar events aloud, and play a specific playlist.
The trigger phrase doesn't have to be anything standard. Pick something you'll actually say without thinking. I use "play it safe" as a trigger because I say it when I want everything turned off and quiet before bed.
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Home Controls and device management
This section in the Google Home app is where linked devices and their behaviors get configured. If your smart bulbs flicker when triggered by a routine, it's usually because the bridge or hub is overwhelmed. Disconnecting and reconnecting the problematic device often fixes it faster than rearranging the order of actions in your routine. Third-party services link through Google, but the connection degrades. Spotify, Netflix, fitness apps, shopping accounts. If a routine suddenly stops working for a specific service, check the linked accounts page first. It's under "Settings" > "Services" in the Google app. Re-authenticate the account. This fixed my thermostat routine that stopped responding for no apparent reason. Assistant stores information about your preferences, your address, your contacts. You can review and delete this under "Memory" in Assistant settings. What most people don't realize is that clearing your web and app activity does not clear Assistant's memory. They are separate systems. If you want Assistant to forget things, go specifically to the Memory section.
Here are a few honest limitations I've run into: Routines don't always execute in the order you set them. Sometimes they run parallel, sometimes they skip steps if one device is offline. I learned this when a "good morning" routine turned on the coffee maker before the lights, which sounds fine until the coffee maker is upstairs and you're downstairs. Voice recognition gets confused by TV audio. If you're watching something with dialogue, Assistant might activate on its own and respond to partial phrases. Turning off "Okay Google" detection temporarily while watching TV is available in the Voice Match settings.
Custom wake words beyond "Hey Google" don't exist. You can't rename the activation phrase. This is a hard limit that Google hasn't changed in years.
Actions and the Play Store
Browse "Assistant Actions" in the Google Play Store for third-party integrations. Some are useful. Most are noise. I found a plugin that lets me bulk-create calendar events through voice, which is genuinely useful because the native creation flow requires too many steps. Filter by "Productivity" when looking through the list. You can turn off activity tracking and still use most features. Go to "Data & Personalization" in your Google Account settings. Disable "Web & App Activity" and "Voice & Audio Activity." Assistant will still respond to commands, but it won't remember preferences or personalize responses as well. It's a real tradeoff, not a minor one. If you're setting this up for an older family member, skip most of the custom routines and stick to device controls and basic queries. The memory features tend to confuse elderly users who expect the assistant to recall things it already told them it forgot. I learned that one the hard way.
