Custom Home Assistant ➔ Google Home Integration (Advanced Traits & Modes Mapping for Samsung AC, Water Heater, etc.)
Hi everyone,
I’m looking for technical feedback from Home Assistant Core and Google Home API (Actions on Google / Smart Home Schema) experts to evaluate the feasibility of a project.
I want to map advanced device functions (e.g., Samsung AC modes, water heater controls, custom sensors) directly inside a single device card within the Google Home app (by creating a Template or custom mapping and exposing it to Google Home), rather than creating separate scripts, switches, or helper entities.
Technical Questions:
Via a custom Python Component in Home Assistant or a custom Google Cloud Action bridge, is it possible to inject traits like action.devices.traits.Modes or action.devices.traits.Toggles into a THERMOSTAT / AC_UNIT (or other) entity so that Google processes them?
I performed tests using the Google Home Developer Playground (simulating various devices) and verified that Modes, Toggles, and other traits can be attached to any device schema. This confirms Google Home supports these payload structures at the API/protocol level.
Has anyone with expertise in Python Custom Components / Google Home Console / HA Core built something similar?
I know this isn’t possible out-of-the-box via Nabu Casa / standard HA YAML config due to strict schema checks in the core component.
Would creating a custom Cloud Integration or Custom Component make this achievable?
Thanks everyone!
My first thoughts on reading your post: To somebody with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To somebody with a screwdriver, everything looks like a screw.
Here in the HomeAssistant ecosystem (there are others such as Ikea, Samsung, Apple, Amazon etc) we are wondering why you choose to go the Google path, and not just go with Open Source and freedom, not subject to the whims and changes, and often abrupt withdrawal of products Google is well known for? Independence from advertising and vendor lock-in? Localized control. Power and flexibility.
From your description, all the sensors, entities, integrations and glue you need are already present in HomeAssistant. Careful reading of the documentation, both for end users and developers should bring enlightenment.
Your question is rather broad brushed: If you share what devices and models you specifically want to control, maybe we can offer more specific suggestions.
Thanks for your reply!
I appreciate Home Assistant’s local control philosophy, but my goal is a “simple” user experience using the unified UI of the Google Home app and Nest displays throughout my home. I use Home Assistant as a powerful backend engine, but I want to use Google Home as a frontend interface.
My question remains purely technical and concerns the feasibility of using custom traits/modes in Python.
Do you think this is feasible?
One device I would consider integrating is, for example, the Samsung Windfree air conditioner.
It passes a lot of controls to Home Assistant, and I wanted to understand if it was technically feasible to create a template that would collect all the data and various modes, which could then be exposed to Google Home.