How to send announcements to Google speakers without saying "Hey Google"

You can get a message onto your Google speakers without saying "Hey Google" in three ways: type it in the Gemini app on your phone starting with the word "broadcast", schedule it with a Google Home routine, or use a push-to-talk app that records your voice and casts it to the speakers. Typing is free and works from anywhere; a push-to-talk app is the fastest when you want your own voice and one button.

Why skip the wake word at all

"Hey Google, broadcast, it's time to go" works fine when you are standing next to a speaker in a quiet room. It falls apart in the moments you actually need an announcement. The baby is asleep and you do not want to talk loudly. The kitchen is noisy and the speaker mishears you. You are in the garage where there is no speaker. Or a kid says "Hey Google" one too many times and the whole family starts to hate it.

The good news: Google speakers will happily play a message that started somewhere else. You just need a different way to start it.

Method 1: Type a broadcast in the Gemini app

Google's Gemini help page describes broadcasting from the Gemini mobile app once you connect Google Home. The examples are written prompts, so you can type instead of speak.

1. Open the Gemini app and sign in with a personal Google Account. Google says work and school accounts are not supported for now.
2. Make sure Keep Activity is on. Google says Gemini cannot connect to Google Home without it.
3. Connect Google Home in Gemini. If it is not connected, Gemini offers to connect it the first time you ask.
4. Type broadcast followed by your message, for example broadcast to kitchen dinner is ready.
5. Leave out the room to reach every supported speaker, display and smart clock in the home.

Two details worth knowing. First, the speakers read your text in their default voice, so the message sounds like Google, not like you. Second, the phone has to be signed in to the same Google Account as the speakers, and Google says broadcasts will not play on a device with Do Not Disturb on.

Google has been moving broadcast handling from Google Assistant to Gemini, and the rollout has been gradual. If the steps above do not match your phone, check the current Gemini and Google Home apps for the latest wording.

Method 2: Use Google Assistant on your phone without the wake word

Google's broadcast help page documents broadcasting from a phone that has Google Assistant, signed in to the same account as your speakers. You can open the Assistant with a button or gesture on your phone instead of the wake word, then ask it to broadcast. Google also says the phone does not need to be on the same Wi-Fi network as the speakers, which makes this the best option when you are away from home ("I'm ten minutes out, start the oven").

If Gemini is set as the mobile assistant on your phone, this route and Method 1 end up being the same thing.

Method 3: Schedule broadcasts with a routine

Google confirms routines can broadcast messages. A routine runs on a schedule or a trigger, so nobody says anything at all. Families use these for:

• "Bus leaves in ten minutes" at 7:50 AM on school days
• "Screens off, time to get ready for bed" at 8:30 PM
• "Take your medication" at the same time every evening

Build routines in the Google Home app. The menus have moved around more than once, so follow what the current app shows. Routines are great for anything predictable and useless for "can someone grab the door", which is where the next method comes in.

Method 4: A push-to-talk app that casts your voice

A push-to-talk app works more like a walkie-talkie. You hold a button, talk, and let go. The app records the clip on your phone and plays it on your speakers, the same way you would cast a song. No wake word, no account, and it is your voice, so everyone knows who is calling.

Holler is one of these apps, for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It plays on Chromecast and Google Nest speakers and on many soundbars and TVs with Chromecast built in. The message arrives a moment after you let go, typically 2 to 5 seconds, which is the honest trade-off: it is not live audio. On recent iPhones you can put it on the Action Button and never open the app at all; see Turn your iPhone Action Button into a push-to-talk house intercom.

The main limit is the network. Because the app casts over your home Wi-Fi, your phone must be on the same network as the speakers. If an app cannot find your speakers, the cause is almost always the router, and this guide to guest networks, mesh Wi-Fi and VLANs walks through it.

Comparing the four methods

Troubleshooting a silent speaker

If a broadcast goes out but one speaker stays quiet, check these in order:

1. Do Not Disturb and Downtime. Google says Digital Wellbeing settings can block broadcasts. Kids' rooms often have these on by schedule.
2. Room assignment. "Broadcast to upstairs" only reaches speakers assigned to that room or group in the Google Home app.
3. Account. Google says the message plays on speakers signed in to the same Google Account. A speaker set up by a different family member may not be linked.
4. Language. Google notes that broadcasting to a specific room or device is currently English only.
5. Network. For casting apps, the phone and the speaker must see each other on the same Wi-Fi. Guest networks and "client isolation" block that.

Picking one

Most families end up with two methods: routines for the predictable stuff, and one quick manual method for everything else. If you are happy typing and the default Google voice is fine, the Gemini app is free and already on your phone. If you want to press one button and talk, and you want the kids to hear that it is actually you, a push-to-talk app fits better.

For a wider look at every option, including Alexa and Apple, read Whole-house intercom options compared. For the full picture of Google speakers as an intercom, see How to use your Nest and Chromecast speakers as a home intercom. Holler questions are answered in the FAQ.