Create automations in Google Home with Help me create

This is an Experimental AI feature only available to eligible users in Public Preview. For more information about Experimental AI features and how to opt in, refer to AI features in Public Preview.

With the help of Gemini, Help me create lets you create custom automations to help you connect and control your smart home more conveniently. Simply describe your desired automation and Google Home generates one that you can save and customize to your needs. For example, you can type or say “Turn on all lights at sunset,” and get an automation created in seconds.

Help me create also offers suggestions based on what's possible with your devices. You could try “Help me sleep better” or “Save energy while I’m away.”

Automations generated through Help me create are different from Personal Routines. To learn more about Personal Routines, check Create and manage Routines in Google Home.

Note: Some devices and features aren’t supported for Help me create yet. Google is adding support for more devices and features over time.

Who can use Help me create

Help me create is currently available to select Public Preview participants in the US who use Android devices and subscribe to Nest Aware Plus. You also need to opt in to the Experimental AI terms of service before you can use this feature. Learn How to join Public Preview.

Important:

Help me create is rolling out gradually and may not be available to you yet, even if you're eligible.
This feature may become available at different times for members of the same home.
This feature has limited language support. It is currently only available in the US (English).

Note: Only home members who use an Android device and opted into Public Preview can create and edit household automations made using Help me create. However, these automations may impact all devices and members of the home.

How to opt in to Help me create

To use the Help me create feature, you must opt in to Experimental AI by agreeing to the terms of usage and data sharing. To opt in:

Tap the Public Preview icon.
Activate the Experimental AI features button.

Note: This toggle only appears if you are opted into Public Preview and have a Nest Aware Plus subscription.
On the Terms page, read and scroll down tap Agree to give your consent. The Experimental AI features button is now on.

Another way to opt in is through in-app messages, like offers from your Home app Inbox. Just follow the on-screen steps after tapping Learn more.

Once you've opted in, you'll be able to access all experimental AI features for which you're eligible. Eligibility criteria for each feature may vary. For a more detailed description of the opt-in process, go to Public Preview for Google Home app.

How to use Help me create

Automations generated through Help me create in the Google Home app have 3 components:

Starters tell the automation when to begin. Starters can include specific times or device states.

Note: An automation can include more than one starter, but any one of them can start the automation.
Conditions are optional restrictions on when your automation begins. Conditions are checked each time an automation starts. For example, you could specify that your automation only starts if everyone is away from home or if it's after sunset.
Note: If an automation has multiple conditions, you can set it to start in two ways:
- Any: The automation starts if any of the selected conditions are met.
- All: The automation starts only if all of the selected conditions are met.
Actions are what your automations do, like adjust the speaker volume or turn a light on or off.

You can add as many starters, conditions, and actions as needed.

Help me create is experimental. Be sure that any automations you create work properly before relying on them.
Automations generated with Help me create might have different editing options than automations created manually. For more information, check Create and manage Routines in Google Home.
Help me create is expanding its capabilities. Not all devices, behaviors, and functionalities are supported at launch. To find out what's currently supported, check Supported starters, conditions, and actions for Help me create.
Camera availability: Help me create only works with Nest cameras set up or migrated to the Google Home app. To learn more about migrating devices, visit Transfer devices to the Google Home app.

Create an automation

Open the Google Home app .
Tap Automations the Add button Help me create.
Describe the automation you want to create in English through a spoken or typed command, or tap one of the suggestions and edit the prompt it generates in the text field.
Sample prompts:
- “Turn off the lights at 11 p.m. every night.”
- “Tell everyone when it's time for dinner through the speaker.”
- “Lock all the doors when everyone’s away.”
- “Set a meditation time reminder.”
If you're not able to generate a helpful automation, you can try a more specific prompt.
Tap Create and wait for the short automation overview.
Once the automation overview appears, you can rate the automation, tap on Ask again to go back, or tap Continue to review and save the automation.
After tapping on Continue, you can edit the generated automation’s title, description, starters, conditions, and actions.
- Tap Save or Done to confirm any changes and return to the automation overview.
Tap Save to apply the behaviors and create your automation.
- Once saved, you can toggle the automation on or off.
- Your saved automations can be viewed and edited in the Automations tab anytime.

Note: Automations with errors can be saved as inactive automations. They can't be activated until all errors are fixed. To check and understand the errors, refer to Troubleshooting Help me create automations.

Edit an existing automation created via Help me create

To edit an existing automation, open the Google Home app tap Automations .
Select the automation you created with Help me create that you want to edit.
Add or edit the title and the description.
1. Tap the name of the automation or tap the Menu icon .
2. Enter the name and description in the designated fields.

Note: Your automations must have unique names. If you try to save an automation with a name that’s already in use, the app automatically adds a number to the end of the name to create a unique name for you.

Find the starter, condition, or action that you want to add, edit, or remove.
- To add a new behavior, tap Add next to the type of behavior you want to create.
- To edit or remove an existing behavior, tap its tile. You can also change the devices linked to each behavior.
- To remove an existing behavior, you can swipe left on its tile or select it and tap the Delete icon .

Note:

An automation requires at least one starter and one action for it to be valid.
If an automation has multiple conditions, you can choose to start an action when all conditions are met or when at least one condition is met.
To find out what behaviors are supported, check Supported starters, conditions, and actions for Help me create.

Tap Save or Done to confirm the changes and return to the automation overview. To avoid potential errors and conflicts in your automation, review each behavior before you save your changes.
Tap Save to apply the changes, or select Back Discard to discard the changes.

Note: Automations with errors can be saved as inactive automations. They can only be activated when all errors are fixed. To check and understand the errors, refer to Troubleshooting Help me create automations.

Reorder an action

You can only reorder actions that start in a sequence. Actions that start simultaneously can be reordered in the app but will still start at the same time regardless of order.

Tap and hold the behavior you want to move.
Drag it to the desired position.
Release to place the behavior.

Troubleshooting

Note: Help me create is still in development. You might experience a known issue that hasn't been resolved. Learn more about Known issues.

Error message	Troubleshooting
“Can’t generate an automation based on your prompt. Try another prompt.” Help me create may not be able to generate the automation if: The prompt isn't understandable The prompt is unrelated to home automation For example: “How many bird species are there?” The prompt uses abusive language	To address this, tap Ask again and rephrase your prompt. Try to provide clear and specific instructions.
“Couldn’t connect. Try again.” This error can happen due to factors like server timeouts, network issues, or excessive requests.	Before you try again, ensure you have a stable internet connection, or wait a moment to avoid making too-frequent requests.
“Can’t generate an automation based on your prompt. Some features may not be available yet. Try another prompt.” The prompt may contain unsupported starters, conditions, or actions.	To address this error, tap Ask again and try another prompt with currently available behaviors. Refer to Supported starters, conditions, and actions for Help me create.
“Something went wrong. Try again later, or delete the automation and create a new one.” An unexpected error occurred while processing your request.	If this happens, make sure your Google Home app is updated to the latest version.

Note: You may also encounter the message “This automation contains errors. Continue to review or edit this automation.” when using Help me create.

This message may indicate multiple issues, such as a generated automation that wants to use devices you don’t have, or permissions you haven’t granted yet. For more information about these errors, check the table below.

Error	Troubleshooting
Missing address: Automations generated by Help me create may require your home address to work.	Change or add the home address of your devices. Open the Google Home app . At the top, make sure your home name is listed. If needed, tap the name to change the selected home. Tap Settings select your home name Home address. Tap Edit Enter your address Next. Drag the map so the pin is on your home, then tap Done. Note: When you change the home address, it only affects the devices in the home you selected. You can edit or delete this address anytime.
Missing device or behavior: You may be missing a device, or you may have a device that you haven't added to the Home app yet.	Verify that the devices you want to use are already added to your Home app. If not, make sure to add them and check if they’re compatible with the automation you want to create. Refer to Supported starters, conditions, and actions for Help me create.
May require additional device settings: This warning means you may have to grant the necessary permissions for your apps and devices to work together. Examples: Requires app notification Requires presence sensing Requires Nest Aware	Make sure that you’ve granted the necessary permissions to control your devices within the Google Home app. This may include completing initial setup steps or enabling specific features in your app settings. For example, you might need to set up Home & Away Routines or grant the Home app permission to access your location and time zone.
Requires compatible action or value: Automations by Help me create may contain behaviors or values that aren't compatible with your devices’ capabilities.	Double-check the configuration of your starters, conditions, and actions to ensure that the values set for each device and behavior are within their supported range. Consider using another compatible device.

If you continue to encounter issues, make sure that your app is updated and consider providing feedback.

How to opt out of experimental AI features

If for some reason you want to stop the use of experimental AI features, you can opt out and withdraw your consent.

Tap the Public Preview icon.
Turn off the Experimental AI features toggle.
The Experimental AI features toggle is now turned off.

Once opted out, you’ll need to review and agree to the terms again if you decide to opt in at a later time.

Note: Once you turn off experimental AI features, you'll still be able to access your existing automations, but you won't be able to create new or edit existing automations using Help me create. The option to delete or deactivate existing automations after opting out of experimental AI features isn't available yet.

How to provide feedback

Help me create is still in the early stages of development. Your feedback helps improve its ability to generate more accurate automations.

To give feedback on Help me create:

After submitting a prompt through Help me create, tap the Thumbs up or Thumbs down button to rate the generated automation. Note: You can also rate the automations generated by Help me create through the automation overview.
Once you rate the generated automation, a feedback form with a standard question appears on your screen. You can provide more detailed feedback through this form or choose from the available quick feedback options.
Tap Submit once finished.

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