Physical Button to trigger automations - yes, brining this up again

[chaybee]

Google, for the love of all of us who are either heavily invested in the Google ecosystem, those just getting into it and those who are ready to switch to another because of the lack of fundamentally simplistic actions for routines that other platforms have had in place for years now, PLEASE give us some kind of physical button, integrate with other buttons or even a **bleep** automation widget button on a pixel phone to trigger even just one automation.  Please!  

[Hollen_ar_mor]

It's possible to create a widget button for a routine on a phone screen : open the routine, and press the shortcut top right, close to the bin.

[Juni]

Hi folks,

Thanks for the help here, Hollen_ar_mor.
 

Chaybee, thanks for reaching out. You can add a shortcut on your Home screen that you can tap to run your Routine. Check out the steps below:
 

In the Google Assistant app

1. On your Android phone or tablet, say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings." 
2. Under "Popular settings," tap Routines
3. Select the Routine you want to create a shortcut for.
4. At the top right, tap Create a Home screen shortcut .
5. Follow the onscreen steps.

In the Google Home app

1. On your Android phone, open the Google Home app .
2. On the Home screen, tap Routines .
3. Select the Routine you want to create a shortcut for.
4. At the top right, tap Create a Home screen shortcut .
5. Follow the onscreen steps.

Regards.

Juni

[chaybee]

Thank you.  Unfortunately, this is not possible with Script Editor created automations which presently you have to use to create turn on or turn off Google Nest Cameras.   

[Hollen_ar_mor]

No, apparently not. But we can automate the cameras with the HOME/AWAY routines :

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9246474?sjid=2733151877175457735-EU

[chaybee]

 My home/away routines are set to turn off cameras when first person gets home and turn on specific lights and vice versa for away mode.  Voice commands I set up work, switching from home away in the Home app work.  presence sensing/occupancy sensing is awful and works like 30% of the time.  A physical button at our entrance way would make it convenient when either my wife or I leave or get home.  

[Hollen_ar_mor]

actions:
    - type: assistant.command.OkGoogle
      okGoogle: camera off
      devices: Hub XXX

You can make voice command with a routine. So you can start this action with your button.

[chaybee]

I'll try this, thank you.  

[Ixirtam]

There is a work around for Script Routines. Using Google Playground create a virtual switch. Set your Script Routine to start when this virtual switch is turned on and to turn the switch off before completion. Then create a normal routine that you can create a button for, and all it does it turn on the virtual switch. Any time you hit the shortcut button on your home screen it will turn on the virtual switch in Google Playground and trigger your Script Routine.

[M-L-E]

A widget on the home screen is not a physical button. A physical button can be used by anyone in the house, which is just nice when you have guests

[MoritzRoessler]

Yes please. I am very close to switch to Amazon Echo even though it would be a huge PITA to setup everything again. Google Home / Nest just feels like an abandoned project. It's been years and it only got worse... even though it would be such a good platform to build an all new state of the art personal assistant.. Why not just train an advanced AI with all personal info (notes, mails, audio records, search history, location). It seems pixie is going somewhat in that direction but I bet it's not going to be on Nest.

[Christian777]

Hey! I've been trying to do this for years. It seems a simple "Google routine button" would be a best seller and make the creator money.

Alas, I came across this, and it seems it could be a good solution!

Credit to the author:

Posted byu/ChimpsInTies

Using physical button to trigger Google Home Activity (Routine)

📷Google Home

I have a cinema room. About 6 things happen when I start the activity but I never want to actually say "Hey google, turn on cinema" so I was looking for a way to use a physical button.

For a while now I've been trying to get it so I can just use a physical button like a Flic or whatever to be able to start the whole room up. Today I was tinkering and realised you can start a Google Home Activity with a smart light coming on/off. Loads of devices let you turn on smart lights (in my case Hue bulb in a little sidelight). So now I can use the physical button or screen on my harmony remote, press it, which turns on the side light and the whole google home activity will start up. Same in reverse. Just have the end of the harmony activity turn the light off and this can be detected by Google Home and it can turn everything off it needs to.

Maybe I was being a bit dim and this has been a known work around for ages but I'm so happy I worked it out because my google-fu was letting me down when searching and everyone was just saying "can't be done". Alright, it's not seamless and does require a smart bulb that's compatible with Google Home but hey. Even if you just had a bulb in a box and didn't care if it actually lighting anything I still think a lot of people have been looking for a way for smart buttons to trigger Google Home Activities.

[MoritzRoessler]

I got it working with an Aqara Button + M1S Hub by Hijacking the Brightness

[Christian777]

Cool solution!  Thanks for sharing!