To set up your smart speaker you will need the following: 

1. Google Home app. 

2. The smart speaker connected to power. 

3. WiFi password for the network you will use to connect your speaker. 

4. A Google account. This can be set up during the Google Home speaker installation but having it already configured makes the process easier. (See Creating a Google Account.) 

Installing Google Home app. 

Here is the app store link for iOS: Google Home app on Apple Store (apple.com) 

Here is the Google Play store link for Android: Google Home app on Google Play Store (play.google.com)

The instructions below are written using an iPhone with iOS 15.3. 

Upon opening the app for the first time you will have to grant some permissions. Press “ok” for each of the following prompts: 

• Google home would like to find and connect to devices on your local network 

• Google home would like to use Bluetooth. 

Getting started setting up Google Home and speaker. 

If you have selected an account in the Google app before today, you will skip this step and land on a screen where you can start adding your device. Press “Add” and then “Add new device”. You can now jump to step 4: Looking for Devices

If you have not yet selected a Google account in the Google Home app, continue following steps below.  

1. Get started.

   After granting permissions, Google home presents a screen with general info about the app, press the “get started” button. 

2. Choose account. 

   This account will be used to personalize your experience.  

   If you don't have one, see Creating a Google Account for more information.

   After selecting the account you want to use, press “I agree” to approve app terms and conditions and press “next”. 

3. Choose a home. 

   Before adding a device, you must specify a home it belongs to. If you have other smart devices, you will already have a home you can add to. You can also create a different home if, for example, you want to set a device up for someone else’s household or you have devices at home or work that you want to control. 

   Select an existing home or the option to “create home” and press next. 

   If you are creating a new home, continue reading. Otherwise, some of the settings will already be set up for your existing home so you may skip to step 4: Looking for devices.  

   Note that other subsequent steps described below may also be unnecessary since the settings will carry over from your existing home. 

   • Name your home. 

     If you chose to create a new home, you will be presented with a screen where you can give it a name. Press “next” to continue. 

   • Enter Home Address. 

     Here you can specify the address for the home you are setting up. This is useful for location specific requests such as local weather. It is optional and can be skipped. If you do skip it, you will be warned that some features will be less accurate. You can select “continue anyway” 

   • Location Access.

     Location access is needed for some requests. Press “Next” to configure location access. You have the option to “allow once” or “allow while using the app”. “Allow while using app” is recommended.

4. Looking for Devices

   The app is now scanning for devices that are ready to be set up. You should see a prompt with the device it found and asks if this is the device you want to set up. Press “Next” to continue.

5. Sound confirmation. 

   A sound will play on the speaker you are about to set up. This is useful in case there should be several speakers available to help insure you are setting up the right one. 

   The app will ask: “Did you hear the sound?” Press yes if you heard the expected speaker make a sound. 

6. Help improve your speaker. 

   You can optionally allow sending of usage and crash information to Google to improve future development for their products. You can choose “yes” or “no thanks”. 

7. Where is this device? 

   Here you can indicate the name of the room where your device is located. This is useful if you should have multiple speakers for the kitchen, office etc. This allows you to issue commands for devices in specific locations around your house. Choose from a list of possible locations the one that best works for you. 

8. Connect to WiFi. 

   Select the WiFi network you want to use for your speaker and press “next”. 

9. Enter WiFi password. 

   Enter the password for your WiFi network. It often is printed on your router. Press “Next”.

   Note that, if you are adding this speaker to an existing home, you will not have to enter the WiFi password. It will already be remembered from previous devices.

10. Set up Google Assistant language. 

    Depending on your device configuration, you might be asked to choose the language used to interact with your smart speaker via the Google assistant.  

11. Set up Google Assistant. 

    Your speaker is powered by the Google Assistant. You ask it questions, tell it to do things, it’s always ready to help. Press “next”. 

12. Contact info from your devices. 

    Help customize your experience by sharing information about your contacts stored on your devices. This is optional and you can skip this and customize what you share with Google at a at account.google.com. Choose “no, thanks” or “Turn on”. 

13. Set up Voice Match. 

    Voice Match is required to use the Accessible Reading Canada application. Note: This step will be skipped if you have already installed other Google devices in this home previously. 

    Voice Match teaches Google Assistant to recognize your voice. If multiple people will be using the speaker, this can be very useful to give you relevant personal information such as appointments from your calendar. You will be asked to say a series of phrases so the assistant can learn your voice. Detailed instructions on setting up Voice Match

    Continue and then select “I agree”.

14. Additional services.

    Now you might be offered the chance to set up additional services such as Youtube or music listening options. 

    You can set this up later by choosing “no thanks”. 

15. Stay in the know. 

    Here you are offered the chance to subscribe to newsletter emails from Google about products and updates. Press “Sign up or “No, Thanks”.

16. Almost done - review settings. 

    Finally, you can review all the settings configured in previous steps. Press “next to confirm settings. 

17. Find out more about controls of your speaker. 

    Select “next” to explore these or “not now” to skip this step. 

18. Your speaker is ready. 

    Press “let’s get started”. You will hear your speaker talking to you and can now start using it.