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Chamberlain MyQ is a well-known, innovative, convenient digital garage door opener brand. A seamless integration with voice assistants such as Google Assistant is essential for enhancing the smart home experience for many individuals.
However, recent changes have raised queries and concerns about Chamberlain MyQ and Google Assistant compatibility. This article aims to shed light on whether it is possible to connect Chamberlain MyQ with Google Assistant and the reasons for the recent discontinuation of this integration. Let’s get started.
MyQ Integration With Google Assistant
Chamberlain’s MyQ takes a unique approach to interacting with Google Home and Assistant compared to other garage door opener competitors. Chamberlain went with a Google Assistant action rather than the seamless connection offered by some competitors so that users could tell Google Assistant to open or close the garage door.
This method forced users into a more complex voice command framework. To use the MyQ interface with Chamberlain, users had to work their orders oddly, in contrast to the usual, clear instructions.
You can’t just say, “Hey Google, close the garage door,” and have it work; instead, you have to say something more complicated like, “Hey Google, ask MyQ to close the garage door.” Many users found this complex command to be annoying.
Is MyQ compatible with Google Assistant?
- No, you can no longer connect Chamberlain MyQ with Google Assistant (Natively). Chamberlain has removed Google Assistant integration from MyQ due to customer complaints about the product’s usability.
The eventual aim of the integration is to allow garage door control via voice commands. However, the company claims that many users have griped about the system’s complexity.
User complaints focused on the connectivity’s perceived complexity and the need for less natural and straightforward voice commands, such as “Hey Google, ask MyQ to close the garage door,” rather than the more realistic and clear “Hey Google, close the garage door.” Users had considerable issues due to the complex command structures.
To implement changes in response to user feedback and enhance the service’s usability, Chamberlain has temporarily halted the integration. The company said that through research and development, they aim to create an integration method that would be both more efficient and less taxing on smart home customers.
Not just the integration with Chamberlain MyQ but several other Google Assistant integrations have been removed at the same time. This indicates that this is something done by Google, for the most part.
Google has a history of killing products that aren’t popular enough, and this could be another one that just got killed. Nevertheless, we are just making an assumption.
What Led Chamberlain to Halt the Integration and What’s Next?
Since there is room for improvement, Chamberlain has temporarily halted the integration, but only for new MyQ users. Users who have already set up Google Assistant on their MyQ can still use the voice command to open their garage door.
Chamberlain hopes to use this delay in the integration to reevaluate the situation and develop a better integration solution that puts the user first and provides a more streamlined and intuitive experience.
For now, however, those who have already connected their MyQ accounts to Google Assistant can continue to use it as usual. However, questions remain about the integration’s long-term viability.
Due to Google’s decision to no longer support voice commands, the future of this integration and its ability to work with both new and existing users is unknown.
Chamberlain has also warned against disconnecting accounts as this will permanently stop the integration, so existing users should keep this in mind before doing anything.
Google Assistant Alternatives For Chamberlain MyQ
Although new users cannot connect their Chamberlain MyQ to Google Assistant, they can try a few workarounds. Users can either use If This Then That or Alarm.com. Although these do not offer voice commands, they are solid alternatives.
- If This Then That (IFTTT): You can create “applets” on the IFTTT app that perform actions in reaction to predefined events. Users, however, should be aware that they may incur charges if they use IFTTT extensively beyond a specific level.
- Alarm.com: You can connect your myQ with the Alarm.com app or the website and open or close your garage door.
Final Words
Because Google has decided to stop supporting Conversational Actions, a significant barrier prevents MyQ from working flawlessly with Google Assistant. Chamberlain will need to reconsider and adjust the integration’s foundation here if it will be compatible with Google’s evolving ecosystem.
Keeping up with Google’s shifting priorities and ensuring seamless compatibility seems to be getting harder and harder. When exactly MyQ will work with Google Assistant again is still uncertain. The Chamberlain community eagerly awaits information and clarification on the integration status. The problem is made worse by the uncertainty of when integration will be fixed and how it will be fixed.
