\n
Speaking of the app, it\u2019s easy to use and worked brilliantly to set up the Authentics 200. I had it connected to Wi-Fi in seconds, and though it went through an update that claimed it would take up to 15 minutes, it was done and updated in just a few. It\u2019s also surprisingly simple to add both Alexa and Google Assistant, connecting both in succession when you click on a single tab.<\/p>\n
The Authentics 200 supports loads of ways to play, including streaming over Google Chromecast, Amazon Multi-Room, Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect, and Bluetooth\u2014it doesn\u2019t play favorites. There are more supported streaming services from within the app, though neither Spotify nor Apple Music are among them. In addition to wireless streaming, you\u2019ll get a 3.5-mm analog input, a USB input, and Ethernet as a backup for Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n
Double the Pleasure<\/p>\n
Full disclosure: I\u2019m not really much for using smart assistants on my own time. I\u2019ve tested a fair few of them, and I find them convenient for quick commands on occasion, but I generally find most actions just as easy (and more accurate) to perform myself from my phone. It took me a while to discern just what to expect when using a two-assistant-in-one speaker.<\/p>\n
Part of the promise here seems to be that you can theoretically use one assistant to start a process or command, and then switch to another to complete it. In practice that wasn\u2019t always successful, especially when it came to one of the most convenient use cases: hands-free audio playback.<\/p>\n
Due to generally closed smart home ecosystems, both Alexa and Google Assistant have their own preferences and limitations. For example, as someone who mainly uses Spotify Connect to stream music, I found out quickly that Google Assistant didn\u2019t want to play that way, preferring Chromecast instead. As such, if I started a song or playlist in Spotify Connect, and then asked Google Assistant to pause, the reply was, \u201cNothing is playing right now.\u201d Alexa had no such problem, working perfectly with Spotify Connect.<\/p>\n
Google Assistant will start and stop music using Chromecast by default, while either voice assistant can easily control volume across services. As noted in JBL\u2019s Authentics FAQ, if you really want to stop the music from an opposing voice assistant, either will comply when using the universal smart commands, like \u201cStop,\u201d \u201cDismiss,\u201d and \u201cQuiet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just to see what would happen, I tried starting a few commands on Alexa and stopping them with Google Assistant, which didn\u2019t always execute properly in my tests. Frankly, though, there\u2019s no real need to bounce back and forth between assistants for such use cases\u2014you\u2019re better off just sticking to one throughout a given task. As a Spotify Connect fan, I found Alexa to be the best option for hands-free playback, and it also seemed to be a bit quicker on the draw.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, as a Nest thermostat owner, it was convenient to be able to switch over to Google Assistant to check my house\u2019s internal temperature or turn up the heat. If you\u2019re someone who has a spread of different smart home devices from Google and Amazon, JBL\u2019s dual-threat voice assistant system could really pay off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Speaking of the app, it\u2019s easy to use and worked brilliantly to set up the Authentics 200. I had it connected to Wi-Fi in seconds, and though it went through an update that claimed it would take up to 15 minutes, it was done and updated in just a few. It\u2019s also surprisingly simple to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n
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