Home Assistant Guide

How to Access Voice Assistant Settings

• Open Home Assistant.
• Go to Settings in the left menu.
• Scroll down and select Voice Assistants.
• Here you'll see all the available options – Assist, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

Assist (Home Assistant's Built-in Voice Assistant)

• Assistants: You can have more than one "assistant" (for example, different voices or languages). Each one shows its name and language.
• + Add Assistant: Create a new voice assistant, choosing options like language and voice.
• Expose new entities: If this is on, newly added smart devices (entities) will be made available to voice assistants automatically (unless they are security devices like locks).
• Entities Exposed: Shows how many devices/entities are currently available for control by voice.
• Assist Devices: How many devices (like speakers) are set up to use Assist.

Tip: If you want to control a newly added device with your voice, make sure it's exposed to Assist here.

Alexa

• Alexa integration lets you control Home Assistant devices using any Alexa-enabled speaker (like an Echo Dot).
• Use the toggle to enable or disable Alexa integration.
• You'll need a Home Assistant Cloud subscription for Alexa support. Once enabled, your exposed devices can be controlled through Alexa by voice.

Google Assistant

• Google Assistant integration lets you control Home Assistant devices using any Google Assistant-enabled speaker (like Nest Mini).
• Expose new entities: If this is on, new devices/entities will be made available to Google Assistant automatically (unless security devices).
• Enable state reporting: When enabled, Home Assistant will update Google with the latest status of your devices (so Google always knows if a light is on/off, etc.). This can speed up responses and allow for more accurate control.
• Security devices: (doors, locks, garage doors): To control these by voice via Google, you'll need to set a PIN. You'll be asked for this PIN every time you try to unlock or open a secure device.
• Entities Exposed: Shows how many devices are currently available to Google Assistant.

Tip: If a device isn't responding to voice commands, check that it's exposed and not set as a security device.

Quick FAQ

• Do I need a subscription?
  Assist is free to use locally. Alexa and Google Assistant integrations require a Home Assistant Cloud (Nabu Casa) subscription.
• What are entities?
  Entities are the individual devices and controls in Home Assistant – like lights, switches, thermostats, and more.
• What is "exposing" a device?
  "Exposing" means making it available for voice assistants to control.
• Can I choose which devices are exposed?
  Yes! You can manually select which devices/entities are available for voice control from the "Expose" tab at the top.