Google Home trick lets you 'broadcast' messages from your phone

Google Home speakers just got a lot more useful.

Google introduced a new feature for Google Assistant that allows you to remotely "broadcast" messages between your phone and a Google Home speaker, or between multiple speakers in the same house.

The update, which is rolling out now, means that you can essentially use Google Home speakers as an in-home intercom system to relay messages, even if you're not in the same location as the speaker.

To use the new feature, all you have to do is say "Okay Google, broadcast," using the Google Assistant app or a Google Home speaker. The speaker will then relay your message via the other Google Home speakers associated with your account. (If you use the Google Assistant app, it must be tied to the same Google account as the speakers you wish to broadcast to.)

Additionally, Google has provided a list of commands that will trigger specific sounds. You can say, "Okay Google, broadcast dinner is ready," for example, to make a "dinner bell" sound through your Google Home.

Note that Google doesn't give you a way to specify which speaker the sound plays to, so if you use the feature, the message will send to all of the speakers you have set up with your account. Still, it's a useful alternative to shouting across your house.