Google Assistant Home Assistant: Setup Guide 2026

Introduction

You can connect Home Assistant with Google Home to control supported lights, switches, climate devices, and other smart home devices using Google's voice assistant. The most common setup is to make selected Home Assistant entities available in Google Home, so you can use familiar commands such as "Hey Google, turn on the living room light."

There are several ways to do this. Home Assistant Cloud provides the simplest setup, while the manual Google Assistant integration avoids a Nabu Casa subscription but requires more configuration. A compatible Matter bridge provides another option for sharing supported Home Assistant devices with Google Home.

This guide compares these connection methods, walks through the basic setup, and covers common problems such as missing devices, duplicate entries, and voice commands that do not work as expected. For supported entity types and current compatibility, see the Home Assistant Google Assistant integration documentation.

2026 note: Google is gradually transitioning supported speakers and displays from Google Assistant to Gemini for Home. Home Assistant still refers to its integration as Google Assistant, and the main goal remains the same: making supported Home Assistant devices available in Google Home for app and voice control.

What Does the Google Assistant Integration With Home Assistant Do?  

For most users, integrating Google Assistant with Home Assistant means one thing: controlling devices that are already managed by Home Assistant through Google Home and voice commands.

At a high level, Google handles the voice request, while your chosen connection method makes supported Home Assistant controls available through Google Home.  

If a living room light already works in Home Assistant, you can make its light entity available to Google through your chosen connection method. Once it is available in Google Home, you can control it from the Google Home app or say, "Hey Google, turn on the living room light.”

This is different from several other Google integrations you may see in Home Assistant:

The distinction matters. The Google Assistant SDK lets Home Assistant send commands to Google Assistant and broadcast messages, while Google Cast handles compatible media and Cast devices. Neither integration, by itself, exposes all of your Home Assistant devices to Google Home.

You will also see the term entity throughout Home Assistant. An entity is an individual control, state, or reading — for example, a light's on/off control, a thermostat's target temperature, or a sensor's temperature reading. When connecting Home Assistant to Google Home, only supported entities and capabilities can be exposed, so it is usually better to share the controls you actually want to use rather than expose everything.

Three Ways to Connect Home Assistant to Google Home

There are three practical ways to make supported Home Assistant devices available in Google Home. The right choice mainly depends on setup complexity, subscription preference, and whether you want a traditional Google Assistant integration or a Matter-based connection.  

Which One Should You Choose?

● Choose Home Assistant Cloud if you want the easiest setup.

● Choose the manual Google Assistant integration if you are comfortable with external access and Google developer configuration.

● Choose a Matter bridge if you prefer a Matter-based connection for supported Home Assistant devices.

Note: If your current setup already works well, there is usually no reason to replace it. Also, avoiding a Nabu Casa subscription does not necessarily make Google voice control fully local or offline.  

How to Connect Home Assistant With Google Home  

Before you start, choose one light or switch that works reliably in Home Assistant. Test it there first and give it a clear name such as "Hallway Light." This makes it easier to identify whether a later problem comes from the device itself or the Google connection.  

Set Up Voice Control With Home Assistant Cloud

• Go to Settings → Home Assistant Cloud and make sure your Cloud account is connected.
• Under Settings → Voice assistants, enable Google Assistant.
• In Expose, enable Google Assistant access for your test entity.
• In the Google Home app, open Works with Google Home, search for Home Assistant Cloud by Nabu Casa, and link your account.

Expose at least one supported entity before linking. If Google Home reports "No compatible devices were found," first check that an entity has been exposed to Google Assistant.   👉 See the Nabu Casa Google Assistant guide.
Assign the device to the correct room in Google Home, test it from the app, and then try: "Hey Google, turn on Hallway Light." Once the first device works, expose additional devices as needed.

Connect Supported Devices With a Matter Bridge

A Matter bridge provides a different route:

• Home Assistant entities → Matter bridge → Google Home

The bridge exposes supported Home Assistant entities as Matter devices, avoiding both a Nabu Casa subscription and the manual Google developer project setup.

For example, SONOFF ZBBridge-U and Bridge Max (Bridge-M) can bridge selected Home Assistant devices to Matter platforms, including Google Home. Devices that already work in Home Assistant can be selected and shared through the bridge without re-pairing them to the bridge's Zigbee network.  👉 See the Home Assistant Matter Bridge setup guide and device compatibility table.

Software alternatives such as Matterbridge can also expose selected Home Assistant devices and entities to Matter.

Before choosing this route, check: 

• You have a compatible Matter-enabled hub for Google Home.  
• IPv6 is enabled and local Matter discovery works on your network. 
• Your device types and required controls are supported by both the bridge and Google Home.

👉 Google documents the hub and IPv6 requirements in its Matter preparation guide.

Note: Home Assistant's built-in Matter integration acts as a Matter controller; it does not by itself expose all existing Home Assistant entities to Google Home as Matter devices.    👉 Add non-Matter devices to Home Assistant via a Matter bridge

 

 

Google Assistant Voice Control: What Can You Do?  

Once your devices are available in Google Home, you can use voice commands for supported Home Assistant entities and capabilities. What works depends on the device, its Home Assistant integration, and the connection method you use.  

Use clear device names that are easy to say. "Desk Lamp" and "Hallway Light" are easier for Google to distinguish than several devices simply named "Switch."

For scenes and scripts, test them in Home Assistant first. The Google Assistant integration supports both, although they may not appear like ordinary switches in Google Home. With a Matter bridge, available functions depend on the bridge's supported devices and feature mappings.  

👉 See the supported entity types for the Home Assistant Google Assistant integration.

If Google controls the wrong device, try using the full device name. If that works, review your device names and room assignments before changing the integration.  

 

 

Troubleshooting: Google Assistant Not Working With Home Assistant?

Troubleshoot in this order: Home Assistant → Google Home app → voice control. This helps identify whether the problem is with the device, the Google connection, or the voice command.

Devices Are Missing From Google Home

First, confirm that the device works in Home Assistant. Check that it is exposed to Google Assistant or supported and selected in your Matter bridge. Verify the Google account and the selected home as well.  

For the Google Assistant connection, try "Hey Google, sync my devices" after adding or renaming entities. Home Assistant and Nabu Casa both document this command for refreshing exposed devices. Nabu Casa device guidance

Google Home Works, but Voice Commands Fail

Try the exact device name and check its room assignment. If other devices respond normally, focus on the affected device or name before reconnecting the entire integration. If several controls work, focus on the affected device before reconnecting the entire account.

The Same Device Appears Twice

Check whether a manufacturer account, direct Matter connection, and Home Assistant are sending separate versions of the same device to Google. Keep one preferred path for that device. Review routines before removing a duplicate, because they may reference it.

Scenes or Scripts Do Not Work for Other Household Members

If you use the Google Assistant integration, check the scene or script's Area assignment in Home Assistant and confirm that the other person belongs to the intended Google Home household. Nabu Casa notes that unassigned scenes and scripts may not be available to other household members.

If you use a Matter bridge, scene and feature availability depend on the bridge's supported mappings, so check the bridge's current compatibility information.

Matter Bridge Cannot Pair

If the bridge itself cannot be added to Google Home, first check that you have a compatible Matter-enabled Google Home hub, IPv6 is working on your network, and local Matter discovery is available.

Matter Bridge Is Added, but Devices or Features Are Missing

If the bridge pairs successfully but some devices or controls do not appear, check that the devices were selected for bridging and that their device types and required features are supported by both the bridge and Google Home.

 

 

 

FAQs

Q1: Is Google Assistant with Home Assistant free?

It can be. Home Assistant Cloud requires a paid subscription after the trial, while the manual Google Assistant integration does not require a Nabu Casa subscription. A Matter bridge also avoids the Nabu Casa subscription, but may require additional hardware or software. Other costs, such as a domain name, depend on your setup.

 

Q2: Can I Add My Google Home Devices to Home Assistant?

Not through the Google Assistant connection described in this guide. To bring devices from Google Home into Home Assistant, use the device's own Home Assistant integration where available. Compatible Matter devices can also be shared with Home Assistant using Matter multi-admin.  

Multi-admin shares an existing Matter device between controllers; it does not import every device from Google Home.  👉 Matter sharing instructions

 

Q3: Does Google Assistant Work With Home Assistant Offline?

Do not rely on Google voice control as a fully offline solution. Even when Matter provides local device control, that does not mean Google's voice processing works offline.
Home Assistant automations that use local integrations can continue working as long as Home Assistant, the devices, and their local connections remain available.

For fully local voice control, consider a local Home Assistant Assist setup. 👉 Set up a fully local voice assistant

 

Q4: Does Gemini for Home Change the Setup?

Google is gradually moving supported speakers and displays from Google Assistant to Gemini for Home, with availability varying by device, country, language, and account.

Home Assistant still documents its integration as Google Assistant, and the core setup in this guide remains focused on making supported Home Assistant devices available in Google Home. Check Google's current rollout and device support if your household has already moved to Gemini for Home.

👉 Learn about Gemini for Home voice assistant

👉 Gemini for Home voice assistant supported services