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10-second setup lets Siri control Nest, lighting and more via web app

It’s not quite as clever as it looks, but an app created during a hackathon and spotted by Engadget allows Siri to control web-enabled devices like Nest, services like Spotify and even a Tesla car.

It’s not coincidence that the app is named GoogolPlex, as what it actually does is intercept Google searches for Plex and redirect them to a webserver that actually does the work. So when you give the command “GoogolPlex Turn on the lights,” Siri interprets that as an instruction to Google “Plex turn on the lights.”

By changing your wifi connection’s proxy settings, these ‘searches’ are redirected to the web app, which then interact with the relevant API to do what you’ve asked of it.

With the approach dependent on the app name sounding like Google, don’t expect it to last long, however …

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Comments

  1. ezfe - 10 years ago

    and that would mean it doesn’t work over 3G/4G due to the inability to have proxy settings for these connections

  2. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    Very clever anyway.

  3. bboysupaman - 10 years ago

    Regardless of how practical it would be (being stuck on wi-fi), this is really cool! I love seeing creative solutions like this!

  4. Raul Rodriguez - 8 years ago

    Is this Stil working on iOS9. I can’t seem to get it to work.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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