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WHO’S IN CONTROL
Seeking assistants
Much of the charm of a smart home is being able to control lights, music, thermostats—you name it—with simple voice commands, so it matters what is listening. While an open smart-home connectivity standard is in development, which promises a universal smart home of the future where products that operate with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant all work together, we’re not there yet. For now, it’s helpful to know the scope of your options. While many devices work with two or all three assistants, some do not. Amazon leads the way in voice control, having Alexa in everything from stereo speakers to microwaves.
AMAZON’S ALEXA
100,000+ COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS
Introduced just six years ago, Alexa pioneered the idea of a home listening for your voice. Lacking a popular smartphone, Amazon knew it had a hit on its hands, and has led the race for the greatest number of gadgets.
GOOGLE ASSISTANT (VIA GOOGLE HOME)
50,000+ COMPATIBLE PRODUCTS
Enjoy requesting facts? Google Assistant likely has the answers, thanks to its search engine. Like Apple, Google builds its assistant into its smartphones and tablets, so
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