Howard Stern and SiriusXM finally come to Google Assistant

I recently converted my home from Amazon Alexa to Google Assistant. Why did I do this? Well, after comparing them both, I found Google's results were better. Not to mention, there are many nuances that make me prefer the search giant's offering. For instance, if I ask for a baseball score, it also shares the sound of a crowd cheering and the crack of the bat hitting a ball. I even prefer the confirmation sounds it makes. When I ask Google to turn off my lamp, for instance, it responds with a more pleasant tone than Alexa does. And so, my Echo devices were replaced with Nest speakers.

Sadly, there was a huge hole left in my life by ditching Amazon for Google -- SiriusXM. You see, with Alexa, you can ask her to play a SiriusXM channel and she does (as long as your account is linked, of course). This convenient feature simply wasn't possible on Google Assistant. Today, however, this changes -- Howard Stern and the rest of SiriusXM are finally coming to Google's Nest speakers! There are even plans to eventually bring video to some Nest devices.

"Subscribers will be able to simply ask the Google Assistant to play a SiriusXM channel by saying, for example, 'Hey Google, play The Beatles Channel on SiriusXM.' Music lovers will be able to use the Google Assistant to enjoy SiriusXM’s hundreds of commercial-free music channels. This includes exclusive artist-based channels like Tom Petty Radio, Eminem's Shade 45, The Garth Channel, and LL COOL J’s Rock the Bells Radio, plus more than 100 recently added SiriusXM Xtra channels that deliver music for every mood and occasion," says SiriusXM.

The company further says, "Subscribers can also get Howard Stern’s two exclusive SiriusXM channels and a host of other channels carrying spoken word programming from the worlds of sports, entertainment, news, lifestyle and comedy. This includes SiriusXM channels from popular brands like Netflix, Barstool Sports and The TODAY Show, one-of-a-kind personalities such as Jenny McCarthy, Kevin Hart, Andy Cohen, Joel Osteen and Chris “Mad Dog’” Russo, enlightening and instructive channels such as Doctor Radio Powered by NYU Langone Health, and much more. Later this year, subscribers with a Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max will be able to watch SiriusXM video, giving them access to a selection of video clips curated specifically for the Google Assistant."

Google and SiriusXM are launching this new feature today, but not for everyone. For whatever reason, the functionality will be rolled out over the next week. In other words, if you don't see the option today, don't panic -- it is coming. Don't worry, Google Assistnat users, you will be able to "hit 'em with the Hein" soon enough.

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