Google Assistant is growing ever more useful with bazillions of actions and abilities. What makes it really powerful is its integration with smart home tech, allowing us to control our houses with nothing but our voice. While more and more categories of home automation products are natively supported by the Assistant, others have to be specifically addressed by saying "Ok Google, ask [some device] to [do some action]." Until recently, sprinklers and pipe leak detectors fell into the latter category, but now, Google has announced that several companies have added native Assistant integration, starting with Rachio, Rain Bird, LeakSmart, and Flo by Moen.

To set up your sprinkler, you need to head to your Google Home app or to the Home tab in your Assistant settings, add Rachio's or Rain Bird's new action, and allow Google to connect to your controller unit. So far, it appears that you can only link one of these at a time. If you have more than one, like our own Artem, you're going to have to choose which you want to control natively.

After the connection is established, you can utter simple demands and questions such as "water the lawn in the backyard," "start watering," or "is the sprinkler running?" – no need to ask Google to talk to Rachio anymore.

If you're looking to integrate a sprinkler into your Assistant routines, there aren't any suggested actions available yet, so you'll have to type out your commands by hand. But yes, you can now make watering the lawn part of your morning and/or night routines.

The same as above is basically true for pipe leak detectors from LeakSmart and Flo by Moen. You can now ask Google Assistant itself for leaks and shut off water from your house without moving a finger or valve.

For now, competing products from other companies seem to be stuck on the more rudimentary form of Assistant support, meaning you have to ask Google to talk to them specifically. Hopefully, it won't take long for them to provide native integration as well.

Source: Google