The Promise of Google Assistant Routines Remains Unmet (Premium)

Google announced that it would be bringing multi-command routines to its Assistant last October. But the first version of this functionality is only now rolling out. And it is very limited.

That's too bad. Because routines are a big deal.

In fact, I think the addition of routines is as profound for Google Assistant as was the addition of third-party app support was for the iPhone in 2008. That is, routines are the foundation of the second-generation for the digital assistant era, where these services expand beyond simple command/response interactions and become more conversational.

Yes there are other improvements that will help usher in this new age. For example, Google Assistant also features great functionality like whole-home broadcasting, voice match, where it recognizes individuals and responds appropriately, and hands-free calling, which enables Google Home devices, when combined with your smartphone, to truly replace landlines in homes. But routines really put this technology over the top. This feature could make Assistant indispensable rather than just a nicety.

Well, theoretically.

As originally described, routines are exactly what they sound like: The ability to string together a number of commands into a single command. So you could say something like "Hey night, good night" and trigger any number of actions all at once: Interior lights could turn off or dim, exterior lights and security could be turned on, and so on, all at once.

We understood that Google would likely prebuild configurable routines for us, of course. But the real power of this technology will come when we can create our own routines that are particular to our needs. Or create routines that run collections of routines.

So we've been waiting. Waiting for routines. Waiting for Google to kick off the second generation of the digital assistant era.

And ... we're still waiting. This week, Google did for the first time enable Google Assistant routines. You configure them in the Google Home app*, which makes sense. And according to a Google support document, there are six routines available now: Good morning, Bedtime, Leaving home, I'm home, Commuting to work, and Commuting home. (You find them in Google Home > Settings > More settings > Services > Routines, which couldn't possibly be further away from the app's home screen.)

(* There's some interaction between the Google Home and Assistant apps that I don't quite understand. Technically, this setting is in the Assistant app, which you can reach via that app or the Home app. It's convoluted either way you do it.)

However, when I look at the Home app on my Pixel 2 XL, I see only one routine, Good morning. (I see the same single routine on the iPhone as well.)

Looking at this routine, I see that you can enable and configure dozens of actions, which are like named commands. Only a few, like "Adjust lights, plugs, and more" and "Adjust thermostat," are directly related to ...