26 November 2018

How to get Google Home / Google Assistant to call your iOS iPhone

If you have an iPhone, Google Assistant and Google Home won't be able to call or ring your phone out of the box, since it's an Android-only feature. If you are not in the US, you cannot even use the workaround of calling your number. So what can you do, if you tend to misplace your phone around the house ? (ahem)
  1. Get an account on IFTTT
  2. Install the IFTTT app on your phone
  3. create a new applet, click on "this" and select Google Assistant
  4. select "say a simple phrase"  and enter the details you prefer (e.g. "make a noise on my phone" or "ping my phone". Note the most common "ring my phone" or "where is my phone" are reserved by Google and won't work).
  5. click on "then" and select VoIP Calls
  6. enter a message the phone will tell you if you pick up (e.g. "Glad you found me!")
  7. Save the applet.
Now, when you say that phrase to Google Home / Goole Assistant, it will ring your phone, so you can dig it out of the sofa or the Lego box (ahem).