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In early July we reported on the sightings of Bluetooth functionality up and running on Google Home devices for a handful of users.
At that time, it seemed that Google had mistakenly let the cat out of the bag just a bit early and after these early reports, not many additional users seemed to be getting the additional functionality of Bluetooth for their Google Home speakers.
Finally Official
It seems Google is finally officially rolling out Bluetooth support for the smart speaker, however, as Android Police is seeing a large number of tipsters noting the feature being present in the latest update.
Seeing this, I (of course) immediately fired up my Google Home app on my phone and found the Bluetooth devices settings right where you’d expect.
For an additional bit of fun, I downloaded the Google Home app on my Chromebook, opened it up to navigate to my devices (via the icon in the upper right corner), clicked the 3-dot settings button for my Google Home, selected Settings, and there was the Bluetooth Devices setting.
Once selected, you can see a place for your list of connected devices. Down on the right you’ll see a button to Enable Pairing Mode. Click this, go to the device you’d like to connect (mine was my Chromebook) and go to your Bluetooth settings just as you would for any other audio device.
A quick scan should find your Home now as a Bluetooth Speaker as long as you are in range. Connect away and begin streaming your tunes!
How sweet is that? Google Home Bluetooth audio set up and streaming all from my Chromebook. Love it!
Work In Progress
Though this all worked right away, I’ve noticed a pretty substantial lag in performance. Clicking play, pause, forward or back can take multiple seconds to actually elicit a response from your Google Home device.
Surely Google is working on this. Given your network conditions are good enough to have a Google Home around in the first place, I’d have to still recommend casting your music instead. The audio quality is better and you don’t have to bother with proximity to the device.
In a pinch, though, Bluetooth audio can be a great resource. I, for one, am glad to see it as another option for Google Home.
Keep in mind Google tends to roll things out in waves. If you don’t see it immediately, you’ll likely see it before the end of the weekend.
