Enhance Your Fourth of July With Your Voice Assistant

Independence Day is just two days away and that means barbecues, fireworks, and patriotic celebrations galore. Voice assistants may not be able to chow down on hot dogs or burn their fingers on sparklers, but users can add a little something extra to their Fourth of July with these fun tricks and tips.

Independent Education

Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and other voice assistants offer a wealth of knowledge for you to show off at your Fourth of July party. For instance, you can ask your favorite assistant to play the Star-Spangled Banner or you can ask Alexa to tell you a Fourth of July joke to break up any lulls in conversation, even if they elicit more groans than laughs. To really get to the root of it, you can simply ask Google Assistant “Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July?”

There are plenty of patriotic third-party apps as well, including more than one that will read the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is fairly straightforward, while others, like Declaration Reader opt for more whimsical commands like “”Alexa, Ask declaration reader to give me some freedom.” And, just in case you aren’t sure, there’s Fourth of July Checker, which can let you know if it’s the Fourth of July or not. This particular skill is for “people with inquisitive minds and insatiable curiosities,” according to the creator, and likely those with a sense of humor as well.

House Party

If you’re having a barbecue at home, voice assistants can be a great tool for advice on how to grill the burgers and avoid serious burns. They’re also useful to find where and when fireworks are going to be set off so you can plan accordingly. Also just in case the loud explosions of local fireworks is a concern, if you have nervous pets or young kids for instance, you can ask your smart speakers to play white noise.

But if you’re nowhere near a fireworks celebration and don’t want to set off any explosions yourself, there are other options. Third-party apps for smart displays like Fireworks Display for Alexa are common, as are purely audio versions like Fireworks. Voice assistants can also make your entire home more patriotic-looking if you have the right smart home software. If you have the right Phillips Hue or other smart light bulbs connected to Google Home or other smart home systems, you can arrange them to shine red, white, and blue, or even flash on and off with the right set of commands.

Happy Fourth of July!

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