I have Google Home set up in my house and it works well. Now I got a Google Home Mini and would like to add it to my account. Can you please help me out getting it all connected?
There are a lot of steps involved, but the process of adding an additional Google Home device like the Google Home Mini to your house is surprisingly easy. Hooking up the very first unit is a bit more complicated because you have to hook it up to your Google account, ensure you have your address specified for geographic based queries (like “what’s the weather?”), etc, but even that’s pretty straightforward.
What you didn’t ask about is why Google Home and Google Nest don’t interact gracefully, which is just as well; I have no idea why that’s the case but it would sure be nice if there was a single app on your Android or iPhone that controlled everything. Heck, it’d be nice if the devices themselves interacted so your TV turned off when you left and locked the front door, for example. But… that’s another story.
Back to your question. I’ll show you all the steps on an iPhone, but the sequence is basically the same on the Android side too. To start, launch the Google Home app…
Here’s another question for you; why doesn’t this home screen show your devices? Ah, well, you’ll want to tap on the so-called hamburger menu – the three horizontal lines on the top left of the screen – and tap. A menu pops up:
As highlighted, choose “Devices” to proceed. Now, finally, you’ll see all your devices listed. Then swipe down to the bottom to find “Add New Device”:
Ready? Don’t get sidetracked by your existing devices, tap on “Add New Device”.
You’ll get an informative screen that details mostly what you need to do:
Pay attention to the very last line: make sure that your phone’s bluetooth is turned on, then go to the Wi-Fi settings and look for the new Google Home Mini (which should be plugged in and working). You’ll see something like this:
If you aren’t seeing it, make sure that you’re close to the device and that you’ve waited until the Mini is fully powered up and the four lights have illuminated. Once the Google Home app sees the Mini, you’ll switch to this:
Should take maybe a minute or so, then it’ll push out a sound that you will hopefully here from your new Google Home Mini. In the app you’ll see this:
Hopefully you’ll be able to tap “Yes”. If not, try again or back up. Assuming it works, though, tap “Yes”…
If you have a shed full of gear, well, then your place is setup just like mine. 🙂
You’re actually almost done! Tap on a location or Skip to continue moving forward. Next up, you’ll need to specify which Wi-Fi network the Mini should be connected to:
It would be interesting to choose the HP printer, but let’s stick with something that works! My main wireless network is Aerie so that’s what I’ll choose. One more status screen, and another inexplicable graphic:
Shouldn’t take too long and the very last step is actually the most fun: you get to choose a male or female voice for your voice prompts on the Google Home Mini! Here’s what that looks like:
I prefer Voice I which is the female voice – apparently Google doesn’t have actual names for their voices – but you might prefer the more male Voice II.
And, finally, you’re done!
That’s all ya see and you’re set up and ready to go. Now say “Hey Google, tell me a joke” and enjoy!