Control Sling TV Hands Free with Google Assistant

Watching Live TV on your Chromecast & Google smart display just got easier with Google Assistant Sling TV integration.

Sling TV – The Basics

Sling TV is a cord-cutters best friend. They offer live TV of your favorite channels and many on-demand options as well. Sign up for Sling TV here to get 40% off your first month.

There are three service plans to choose from:

• Sling Orange 30+ Channels
• Sling Blue 45+ Channels
• Orange & Blue 50+ Channels

Once you have chosen your plan you can add on any channel packages you want, then download the app from the Play Store or App Store, sign in and start streaming! It is really that easy. Once you have your account set up we can head to the next step.

Playing Sling TV on Your Chromecast

Now that you have a sling account there are many ways in which you can watch the TV. If you have a Smart TV you can search for the Sling app, sign in and start watch movies.

If you have a Chromecast plugged into your TV, you can follow these steps to quickly cast the show you select to your TV

1. Open the Sling TV app and select the Cast icon at the top of the screen

2. Choose the Chromecast device you want to use

3. Select the video you want to watch and it will play on your TV

Link Your Sling Account to the Google Home App

In order to use your Google Home speaker to play Sling on your Chromecast or smart display, you first need to link your Sling account to Google Assistant in the Google Home app.

1. Open the Google Home App
   
2. Tap on the + in the top left corner
   
3. Tap on “Videos and Photos”
   
4. Scroll down and tap on “Link Account” under Sling
   
5. Accept cookies, type in username and password and tap “CONTINUE”
   
6. If you agree, verify the terms by tapping on “LINK ACCOUNT”
   
7. Verify that the Videos screen shows “Subscription account”
   

That’s it! You can now start controlling your Sling account with the Google Assistant.

Control Sling TV with Google Assistant

Opening up the Sling app on your phone to watch a show on your TV is not always the most convenient. So now that we have linked your account you can simplify this process all by voice. I you have a Chromecast connected to your TV and a Google Nest Mini speaker nearby you are ready to have a magical TV experience!

Watch live TV on Chromecast

To begin watching Sling on your TV follow this command structure. OK Google, watch (channel name) on Sling on (Chromecast name)

If you only have one Chromecast you don’t need to say the Chromecast name. Playing the Hallmark channel requires the Lifestyle Extra add on.

Here are other examples:

• OK Google watch Hallmark Channel on Sling on TV/Chromecast
• OK Google watch ESPN 2 on TV/Chromecast
• OK Google watch HGTV on TV/Chromecast

Voice Activated Controls

• OK Google Play/Pause/Resume
• OK Google set volume to 50%
• OK Google rewind 15 minutes (this even works if you are just starting to watch a show)
  • OK Google jump back 15 minutes
• OK Google skip 5 minutes
• OK Google Turn on/off subtitles
  • “Turn on/off captions
• OK Google stop casting to TV/Chromecast

If you want to control your Chromecast just add <on TV/Chromecast> at the end of your command.
If you are watching on a smart display you can use the on-screen controls, as well as the previous voice commands.

Watch live TV on Smart Display

Watching TV on a Google smart display is even easier than a Chromecast. Just tell the Google Assistant what you want to watch and it will start to play on the smart display.

• OK Google watch Hallmark Channel on Sling
• OK Google watch ESPN 2
• OK Google watch HGTV on Sling

The previous control commands work as well. If you have a Google Nest Hub Max you can also instantly pause what you are watching just by raising your hand in the air.

There are many other ways to control content on your Chromecast enabled device all hands free. Head on over to our Chromecast page to learn about other services you can use completely hands free.

Source: Google