Turn Your Smart Home Speaker Into a White Noise Machine
Whether you’re trying to focus on work or to lull yourself to sleep, white noise is a useful tool at your disposal. Now that smart voice-controlled speakers have invaded our homes, it’s easier than ever to reproduce the right part of the surround sound .
Whether you have Google Home, Amazon Echo, or are still waiting for Apple’s HomePod, playing white noise is just a voice command. Here’s how to turn your smart home speaker into a surround sound car.
Google home
If you are in a rush, you can turn on the white noise with your Google Home speaker with a quick voice command. Say, “Ok Google, help me relax” or “Ok Google, turn on the white noise.” This works for the company’s smart speakers along with Google Assistant on your smartphone.
You can also choose from over a dozen different sounds if you want a little more control over the type of noise Google plays. Here’s a complete list of options (courtesy of The Verge ). Just say “Ok Google play____” and add any of these conditions:
- Relaxing sounds
- Sounds of nature
- Sounds of water
- Running water sounds
- Outdoor sounds
- The murmur of the brook sounds
- Oscillating fan sounds
- Fireplace sounds
- Sounds of the forest
- Country sounds
- Ocean Sounds
- Sounds of rain
- Sounds of the river
- Thunderstorm sounds
- White noise
The only drawback is that these sounds only last an hour. So if that time isn’t enough to help you fall asleep (or you still have work to do), you’ll have to reactivate it. If this is a real problem, you can always find a longer track elsewhere and download it to play through your google speaker.
Amazon Echo
When it comes to Amazon Echo and white noise, Prime Music (a free streaming service that ships with Amazon Prime) is your best bet. For a quick fix, CNET recommends saying “Alexa, play Amazing Two Hour Midnight Thunderstorm on Prime Music,” which is exactly what it sounds like.
You can also try searching Prime Music for other options. Once you find something that you like, just ask Alexa to play it. Then say “Alexa, loop” if you want to hear it on repeat.
Alternatively, you can enable a third-party white noise skill for your Alexa speaker. Sleep Sounds has dozens of options to choose from, and it loops automatically, although you can also set it to play for a specific amount of time if you like.
HomePod
The Apple HomePod won’t launch until February 9th, but we already have a pretty clear idea of what to expect from a Siri-powered speaker.
The best way to hear white noise on HomePod is to go to Apple Music. The streaming service has a variety of ambient tracks to choose from, from static sounds to nature sounds and waves. Just open Apple Music and search for White Noise. Select the tracks you like and create a playlist. Then when you go to bed or need background sound to work, the sound will be ready to go.