What is the Home Automation Script Editor for Google Home?

Google Nest Hub Max
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What is the Home Automation Script Editor for Google Home?

Best answer: The Home Automation Script Editor for Google Home is an online tool that allows you to build advanced routines for Google Home devices. It incorporates the existing selection of routine actions and offers over 100 more actions. It's coming to the Google Home web app sometime in 2023.

Work smarter while Google Home works harder

Google Home Script Editor

(Image credit: Google)

You can build routines that trigger on specific events like the time through the Google Home app. They can be handy. I use one to set off my alarm and coffee maker in the morning (if I remember to add coffee to it!) at different times based on the day of the week and plenty of other folks have far more advanced ones they use every day.

That's great, but as more and more devices are built to be smart and work with the Google Assistant service, there is room to do a lot more. Google recognized this and is bringing a script editor that's more powerful in 2023 as part of the Google Home redesign and website.

It's a very Google-ish thing. It looks like a development environment for writing code but also appears to be using a unique set of rules built into the editor itself. We don't know for sure, but you likely aren't going to be able to write a script using an outside editor written in any other coding language.

Google Assistant Routines

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

That's probably for the best if Google wants people to actually use it. While plenty of folks know the basics of coding, most people would rather have a more guided experience where the only choices are ones that will actually work.

 We should know more details once the script editor is ready for its beta testing debut sometime in 2023. To get ready, you'll need to be part of the Google Home app beta and have access to the Google Home app on the web.

One thing is certain — Google has seen advanced smart home platforms like Home Assistant gain in popularity and this is the company's response. It plays on Google's strengths, namely catering to the prosumer by offering a small slice of geeky style while still being approachable to make better use of your smart home products. You might want more and use something like Home Assistant, but most people will be more than happy with slightly less powerful tools that are built to be easy to use. 

Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.