On iOS, you have the choice of HomeKit or Google Home for your smart home. HomeKit seems like the logical choice, but it is not always. Google Home has its own advantages.
Google Home on iOS in 2021
Google Home has a number of distinct advantages over HomeKit. For example, there are many more devices that support Google Home, so that you have more choice in expanding your smart home. In addition, all kinds of smart speakers are available with the Google Assistant to control the smart home with your voice. But how do you really like Google Home in combination with iOS?
Google Home is an app that you can download from the App Store to start your smart home. In the app you add all smart devices that you can then control via the app. Or of course you use the Google Assistant. This makes the app comparable to the Home app from Apple and Siri.
While Google focuses primarily on its own Android, iOS is an important platform for the company. You also notice that with Google Home. The app works great in combination with your iPhone. You may have to get used to Google’s style of design and the structure of the menus, because that is not all super clear. The app also works fine.
Find iPhone
The smart speakers from Google, such as the new Nest Audio, can also be connected to the Google Home app on your iPhone without any problems. After that, you never actually run into a problem if you use an iPhone instead of an Android device. The Google Assistant even outperforms Apple’s voice assistant Siri.
Since April 2021, a new feature has been added that allows the Google Assistant to find your iPhone if you lose it, but this currently only works in English. That’s one of the bigger drawbacks of Google Home. It takes quite a long time for new functions to roll out to the Dutch version of the Google Assistant.
However, it is quite easy to use the Google Assistant bilingual. This means that you can speak both English and Dutch. You will then use Dutch for your daily assignments and English for new functions.
Privacy
An important reason to choose HomeKit over Google Home is privacy. Apple does not collect or use your data, while Google does. Especially when it comes to something as privacy-sensitive as your own home, where you may place cameras and microphones as part of your smart home, you want to be sure that you are safe.
In recent years, Google has worked to make your privacy increasingly transparent. Under ‘Settings of the Home app’ in the Google Home app you will find all kinds of means to guarantee your privacy under the heading ‘Privacy and legal’. Here you can, for example, disable audio recordings of your voice commands. You can also delete all your data and ensure that new activity is not tracked.
If you use HomeKit, that privacy is more self-evident. With Google Home you have to take some extra steps and therefore dive into menus to secure your privacy.
Apple Music in the Netherlands
The biggest disadvantage of Google Home in combination with your iPhone is that Apple Music does not work in the Netherlands yet. Since the end of last year, the option has been rolled out to a number of countries, but it is not yet known when it will be the Netherlands’ turn. This will undoubtedly change in the near future. You can of course just listen to music via Spotify.
Google Home on iOS in 2021: conclusion
Google Home is a great choice on iOS on several fronts. There are clear advantages and disadvantages compared to HomeKit to keep in mind. You really don’t need to have an Android user at home to consider Google Home for your smart home.