Does Roomba Work with Google Home?

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  • Post last modified:May 25, 2021
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If you have a Roomba robot vacuum cleaner and a Google Home smart speaker, you’re probably wondering whether the two can be used together.

Well, the answer is a big yes. Since 2020, iRobot have added integration with Google Assistant, the voice assistant that lives inside Google Home devices. This also includes Nest devices and even your Android phone.

In this guide, I’ll run through all of the things you can and can’t do with this integration and which Roomba’s are supported.

Which Roomba’s Support Google Home?

Only Roomba’s newest robot vacuums have Google Home integration. Here is a full list of Roomba model numbers that support Google Home:

  • Roomba E5 / E6
  • Roomba 67X / 69X / 89X
  • Roomba 96X / 98X
  • Roomba i3 / i3+
  • Roomba i7 / i7+
  • Roomba S9 / S9+
  • Braava Jet M6 (robot mop)

Note: ‘X’ can be replaced by any number

You’ll need to have the iRobot Home app set up to access Google Home features. Both the vacuum and the app will need to be running the most up-to-date versions.

Roomba supports Google Assistant voice commands in Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish.


Can I Use Multiple Roomba’s with Google Home?

If you have more than one robot, you can set names for each Roomba so it knows which device you are referring to with your voice commands.

Simply start your commands with ‘Tell [robot name]’ or ‘Ask [robot name]’.

To set the names of each Roomba, ensure you’re connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the vacuum cleaner and follow these instructions:

  • Open the iRobot Home app and head to ‘more’
  • Select ‘settings’ and choose ‘robot name’ from the options
  • Set the name of your robot and save

The same applies to iRobot Braava robot mop.


Things Your Roomba Can Do With Google Home

Here is a rundown of all the things you can do with your Roomba using your voice and a Google Home smart speaker:

Start/stop/pause vacuuming

The most basic thing you can do with Roomba and Google Home is to start/stop vacuuming which will begin or end a new cleaning cycle.

You can also pause/resume vacuuming if you plan to continue the same cleaning cycle later on, this is great if you just need to take a phone call or answer the door.

Tell your Roomba to return to home base

Much like sending a naughty child to their room, if the Roomba is getting on your nerves, you can instruct it to return to its dock for recharging.

Locate your Roomba

If you’ve not seen your Roomba for a while, it’s probably got stuck or tangled in something. Simply ask Google Home to locate your Roomba, the vacuum will start playing a song to alert you of its whereabouts, providing it has enough battery.

To alert you of their location, Roomba’s tend to sing a song whilst you stroll around your home to work out where the noise is coming from.

Check the status of your Roomba

Unsure what your Roomba is up to? You can simply ask Google Home whether it’s charging or docked.

Start vacuuming by room, zone, or object

If you have a Roomba with imprint smart mapping (i3, i7, s9, 900 series, and M6), you can set rooms, zones, and objects on the interactive floor plan in the iRobot Home app.

Once this has been set up, you can use Google Home voice commands to instruct your Roomba to clean a specific area of your home.

You can combine these commands with the robot’s name for precise commands such as ‘Hey Google, tell [robot name] to start cleaning the [room]”.


Things Your Roomba Can’t Do with Google Home

Roomba’s integration with Google Home still isn’t up to the same standard as other voice assistants, here are some things you still can’t do:

Set cleaning schedules

Although you can set your Roombas cleaning schedule using Alexa, the same functionality doesn’t yet exist with your Google Home so you’ll need to resort to the app for this.

Check battery life or receive maintenance alerts

There’s currently no way to check the remaining battery life of your Roomba using Google Home or to receive maintenance alerts such as when filters need replacing or bins need emptying.


Roomba Google Home Commands

Here is a full list of commands for using your Roomba with Google Home:

  • “Hey Google, start/stop vacuuming.”
  • “Hey Google, tell (robot name) to vacuum.”
  • “Hey Google, pause/resume vacuuming.”
  • “Hey Google, tell (robot name) to go home.”
  • “Hey Google, is the vacuum charging?”
  • “Hey Google, where is my vacuum?”
  • “Hey Google, start vacuuming the (room/zone/object/favourite).”
  • “Hey Google, tell (robot name) to start vacuuming the (room/zone/object/favourite).”

In order to vacuum by room/zone/object or favourite, you’ll need to have a vacuum with imprint smart mapping such as the i7, S9, or M6.

How to Set Up Roomba and Google Home

Here are step-by-step instructions for setting up your Roomba in the Google Home app so you can use it with the Google Assistant:

  1. In the Google Home app tap the ‘+’ in the top left corner.
  2. Choose ‘Set up device’ and select ‘Works with Google’.
  3. Search the menu for ‘iRobot Smart Home’.
  4. You’ll now be prompted to log in to your iRobot account.
  5. Once linked, you’ll be able to assign each Roomba to a room and you’re good to go.

What’s the Best Roomba for Google Home?

The Roomba i7+ is my top recommended Roomba for Google Home. It uses iRobot’s iadapt 3.0 imprint smart mapping which creates a floor plan that you can label in the iRobot Home app.

You can then activate room-by-room cleaning using just your voice via Google Home.

It also has a self-emptying base which sucks the dirt from the onboard dustbin when full. This means it can run without any user intervention for months on end.

For more recommendations, see my full guide to the best robot vacuums that work with Google Home.

Kieren

I have been building up my smart home since 2016 so I'm a bit of a smart home expert by now. On this blog, I share my favourite smart home devices that I've tested along with tips and tricks I learn by watching countless YouTube videos, scrolling through forums, and tinkering around with my own smart devices. I've always been a Google Home user but I'm starting to think Alexa might have the edge, what do you think?