So it seems the Google Assistant IFTTT integration is about to be completely knobbled - with v2 you can only activate scenes as described here.
I am currently using it with variables like “hey google, add x to my shopping list” (for iOS) and “remember container n is x”. These are both similar to assistant’s native capabilities, but those don’t work how I want (eg. ‘remember’ just keeps adding not replacing and I can’t figure out how to clear or ask what’s in container n).
Hopefully they’re doing this because the capability for variables will be built into assisant, but I’m not holding my breath.
Are others in the same situation, and do you have thoughts on what to pivot to?
Same boat as you. However, I was using Google Assistant > IFTTT > Trello for grocery lists (“Hey Google, add milk to Trello” adds to my grocery list on trello).
Without the IFTTT variable, this is now impossible. I’m hoping there’s a workaround that I’m not thinking about. Ideally cutting Trello out too. Just direct to Home Assistant.
I had the same problem and was searching for alternatives. For the “Hey google, activate scene X” there is the easy workaround to set up google routines with natural triggers (without the activate) and just forward to the “Hey google, activate scene X” . I do this also with home assistant scripts exposed to google assitan.
Unfortunately, for the text & number ingredient feature I did not find an alternative - however, for putting tasks on todoist lists (like a shopping list) - I wrote a little python tool that could run on a raspberry pi or sth:
It transfers items from google keep lists to todoist.
My use case is having an intuitive google assistant integration for todoist:
Sync your google notes and lists with google keep (setting in google assistant)
Let this tool move items from google keep lists to todoist lists.
It is not a real sync but just a one way keep->todoist. Moved items will be deleted from keep’s list.
I don’t use the inline variables like OP describes, but I did have dozens of applets in IFTTT to control all kinds of devices and lights throughout my house. This weekend I transitioned over to Home Assistant Cloud and while it took a couple of hours to convert, the process was incredibly easy and I didn’t run into a single hiccup along the way (unheard of in the DIY tech world)! The annual cost was very much worth it, IMO, considering I was already paying IFTTT even more, but I don’t really need that plan anymore as what I have left in IFTTT fits into the free tier.
As a bonus, I’ve found the reaction speed to be much faster than with IFTTT voice commands, as well. My understanding is that Assistant can work locally as long as everything is on the same Wifi network. Before there was usually a couple of seconds delay, now most lights are reacting even before the voice response begins!
If I have undesrtstood well, there will be another integration but with same capabilities, like text and numbers ingredients…
Do you have some more technical documentation of this change?
I have such many integration with “clean my #kitchen” or “I need to buy #milk”
Yes you all were right. Google assistant v2 is useless. Scene activation is made easy using the Google home application. What we miss is the ingredients capability.
I am testing Rhasspy right now, integrated to Google cloud speech to text engine is working well.
The Google Home app lets you sync their shopping list with one of: Google Keep; Any.do; AnyList; or Bring. It is set up under “Settings > Notes and lists” in the Google Home app. I have tried Keep and Any.do.
For Keep, there’s a sensor available under HACS, which will retrieve the data into HA, but it can’t (currently) create/update/delete. There’s also an unofficial gkeepapi client that perhaps could be built on.
For Any.do, this post shows some degree of integration between Node Red and Any.do, so there might be a possibility for automation there.
In my case I also wanted an iPhone widget, and Any.do provides this whereas Keep doesn’t.
Just a heads up because I didn’t see it mentioned here; home assistant’s google assistant integration depends on google actions which will be sunset in 6 months. I suspect that the changes to IFTTT were due to the actions sunset as well, tbh, so it’s probably the same issue.
Hopefully there’s a solution that works nicely for everyone before actions are sunset!
Like many of you I used the ‘ingredients’ in IFTTT commands to my google assistants all the time. My favourite was the Trello integration that let me use different phrases for all my different boards.
I’ve been using Google Keep for my shopping list but find it so frustrating, particularly as it insists on voice matching every time. I can’t even add the children so it will let them in!
I wondered if anyone has found any way to get back the kind of functionality we had before, particularly with Trello? I’m willing to consider changing pretty much any part of the system if I can achieve the same functionality!
. I use it to add items to my Home Assistant shopping list.