The Fastest Way to Personalize Your Alarm Sound on Google Home

The Download

• You can change the alarm sound on Google Nest displays.
• Swipe up and select the alarm icon, then tap Settings > Alarm tone.
• You can schedule a Routine to trigger music to change the alarm sound on speakers without a display.

This article explains how to change the alarm sound on Google Home devices, including how to wake up with music.

Steps to Change Alarm Sound on Google Nest

If you have a Nest display, like Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max, and it has the latest firmware, you can change its default alarm tone. However, doing this requires a touch screen, so you can’t do it on devices that don’t have one.

If you’ve already set the alarm, tap the alarm icon > Settings > your alarm, and choose a new tone for your alarm.

Here’s how to change the alarm sound on a Google Nest display:

Swipe up from the bottom of the display.

Tap the alarm icon.

Select Settings > Alarm tone.

Choose a tone, and tap Set.

You can also choose to make the alarm repeat, include a sunrise alarm, and set the alarm to trigger a routine during this step.

How to Set a Media Alarm on Google Home

While you can’t choose a custom tone for Google Home alarms that you didn’t set on a Nest display, you can set a media alarm. This type of alarm uses a song instead of an alarm tone.

To do this, you request an alarm with a specific song, artist, or radio station. Google Home then pulls the necessary song or radio station from your default music streaming service and uses it instead of the default alarm tone.

Technically, media alarms are no longer available. Instead, you can start music at a specified time by creating a Routine. Here’s how:

Open the Google Home app to the Automations tab, and tap Create > Personal.

Give the Routine a name, such as Media Alarm.

Tap Add starter to define what should prompt the Routine to run. Since you want to change the alarm sound, choose At a specific time to mimic an alarm.

Tap Add action > Play and control media > Music to set the alarm sound. You can enter a playlist, song, or genre.

Create a Routine to change the alarm sound on Google Home to any song.

Tap Save at the bottom of the Routine to finish configuring the new alarm sound.

Can You Change the Alarm Sound on Google Home?

While you can change the alarm sound on Google Home, there are some limitations on exactly how you can change it and what you can change it to, depending on which Google Home speaker or Nest display you’re using.

On Nest devices with a screen, users can change the default alarm tone. Don’t worry; Google provides a nice variety of options. If you have a Google Home or Nest speaker without a screen, you’re stuck with the default tone.

However, you can set a media alarm on any Google Home device in place of changing the tone. Doing this lets you hear the requested music instead of the default alarm tone when the alarm sounds.

FAQ

• How would I change the alarm sound on a Google Home Mini?

  If you’re using the Google Home Mini smart speaker, you can’t change the general alarm tone. But, like the Google Home smart speaker, you can set your favorite music as your alarm by building a Routine in the Automations tab of the Google Home app.

• Can I use Spotify to set my Google Home alarm sound?

  Yes. To set a music alarm using Spotify on your Google Home smart speaker, you’ll first need to link Spotify to Google Home. In the Google Home app, tap Settings > Music > Spotify > Link Account. Choose one of the options to make a new account or log in (such as Yes, and share) > Agree and link. Spotify will now be your default music service. Use voice commands to set alarms using your preferred Spotify artist, songs, or playlist.

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