Hyundai announces Google Home voice-controlled integration

Starting your Hyundai could soon be as simple as saying a few words. The automaker today announced it has integrated its Blue Link telematics service with the Google Home voice-recognition speaker.

Google Home is a small home speaker device that can respond to queries from users and will now be able to interact with a connected Hyundai model. For instance, Hyundai says you could ask the device, "OK Google, Tell Blue Link to send the address of the Mandarin Oriental, in Las Vegas to my Sonata," or, "OK Google, Tell Blue Link to start my Santa Fe and set the temperature to 72 degrees."

The functionality largely mirrors what Hyundai already launched for the Amazon Alexa service, which uses the Amazon Echo speaker system. As with the newly announced Google service, it allows Hyundai owners to lock, unlock, start, and send navigation directions to their car through the Blue Link service. On plug-in vehicles, like the Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid, owners can even ask Google to start, stop, or manage charging times for the car. For security reasons, some requests, like unlocking or starting the car, require the owner to speak his or her four-digit PIN to Google Home or Amazon Alexa before the action begins.

Hyundai spokesman Miles Johnson says that the Amazon Blue Link integration has been a hit with owners. "The people that use it absolutely love it," he told Motor1.

Hyundai has long worked with Google on in-car connectivity; the automaker was the first to launch Android Auto and last year said it might partner with Google on other connectivity products. Hyundai is also developing a special, Hyundai-specific version of Android Auto for future models.