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On April 30, your Roomba might disconnect from Google Assistant -- Here's why
- On April 30, 2019, a Roomba connected to Google Assistant using the outdated method will automatically get disconnected.
- You can easily re-add your Roomba to your smart home by doing so through the Google Home app.
- This new method will make voice commands for Roombas simpler.
If you’ve owned a Roomba for a while, you might have connected it at some point to Google Assistant. This would allow you to say commands like, “OK Google, ask Roomba to start cleaning” and your little robot vacuum would start doing its job.
On April 30, 2019, iRobot — which creates the lovable Roomba devices — will phase out that old way of connecting a Roomba to your smart home. As such, all of those old Google Assistant connections will automatically disconnect on that date.
The good news is that you can easily reconnect your Roomba to your smart home — and Google Assistant — by using the newer method, which involves using the Google Home app. Once connected in this fashion, voice commands for Roombas will be much easier.
For example, instead of saying “OK Google, ask Roomba to start cleaning,” you can simply say, “Hey Google, start vacuuming.” Here are some other examples of new commands:
- “Hey Google, stop cleaning”
- “Hey Google, dock the Roomba/ [Robot Name]”
- “Hey Google, tell Roomba / [Robot Name] to go home”
Additionally, if you have a newer Roomba in the i7 series, you can command Roomba to clean specific spots in your home by saying something like, “Hey Google, clean the kitchen.”
To avoid an automatic disconnection, you can follow the steps below to add your Roomba to Google Home and start using the new commands today:
- In the Google Home app, tap on the Add icon at the top of the main screen.
- On the next screen, tap Set Up Device and then tap “Have something already set up?”
- You should see a page with your connected services as well as a long list of available services. Scroll down to iRobot Smart Home.
- Follow the prompts to login to your iRobot account and link it to Google Home.
- Once the login process is done, you’re all set! Remember to add your Roomba to your home and assign it a room.
If you follow those steps above, you won’t have to worry about getting disconnected on April 30. If you choose not to, don’t worry: you can always perform the steps after you’re disconnected.
Do you own a Roomba? Do you use it with Google Assistant quite a bit? Let us know in the comments!
NEXT: Robot vacuum cleaners — What are they and which should you buy?