Google Home script editor adds camera starters, custom notifications, and more

The Google Home script editor that launched in Public Preview this June is getting its first update across four areas today.

Nest “intelligent alerts” can recognize when there’s a person, animal, car, or package in the frame, and you can now use those events as Routine starters:

• Package delivered starter: When a package is detected, you can, for example, make an announcement on your speakers and pulse your hallway lights. 
• Familiar face detected starter: When a familiar face is detected, you can turn on the lights or play music to welcome your loved one is home.
• Dog detected: When a dog is detected, you can play calming music to help your dog relax. You can also set up your Chromecast with Google TV to play a dog-friendly TV show.

Meanwhile, starter suppression will “prevent your automation from triggering again for a certain period of time after it has already triggered once.” Google offers two examples where this might be useful:

• For example, let’s say you have an automation that chimes your bell every time someone walks past your door after sunset. If you enable starter suppression, the automation will not chime the bell again for one minute after it has first chimed. This prevents the automation from chiming the bell every time someone walks past your door, which could be annoying or disruptive.
• As another example, let’s say you have an automation that opens all of your blinds in the morning when you walk through your hallway. If you enable starter suppression, the automation will not open the blinds again for 20 hours after it has first opened them. This prevents the automation from opening the blinds every time you walk through your hallway.

Then there are custom notifications, with the ability to create your own rules for alerts triggering and then customize the text. The latter could be especially helpful when others in your household get those notifications.   

Finally, you can access Automation logs to view a history and diagnose problems. They will appear below the script field on the web. 

Google ends by describing today’s additions as the “first set of new features.” While all users will benefit from the 18 new starters and actions, the script editor remains in Public Preview today. 

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