The voice activation command of the Google Assistant allows interact with him without touching the phone. This can help you call your contacts, add an appointment to your calendar, control other devices in your home or check the weather forecast when, for example, you are driving or during your work day. There is no doubt that activating this feature and configuring it appropriately will give you extra productivity and comfort.
The activation and configuration process is very simple. You just have to go to the Android settings, locate the section Google and open it.
Open Google options on Android
Then tap on Account services.
Open account services
On the next screen, click on Search, Assistant & Voice.
Search and voice settings
Now, open the settings Google assistant.
Google Assistant Options
Choose Voice Match in the list that you will see below.
Voice recognition settings
Activate the slider next to OK Google.
Activate Ok Google in the assistant settings
Then, click on Next to create a voice model. This will help Google Assistant to recognize your voice more precisely.
Start voice model recording process
Repeat the phrase OK Google three consecutive times. It is very important that you do it in a natural way, without forcing a pronunciation different from the one you usually have.
Record wake phrase
When you’re done, the assistant’s voice activation command will be active. Please note that depending on the make and model of your device, this feature will only be available with the screen turned on. However, in most modern terminals, it is possible to use the command OK Google even when the phone is locked.
Available functionalities of Ok Google
From now on, you can comfortably perform some actions without having to unlock your phone or physically interact with it. Thus, once the voice command is configured, you can start playing the music, call a contact by saying their name or send a message by WhatsApp. In addition, your phone has just become a remote controller for all your home automation. All these actions do not require additional configuration and do not differ from the usual tasks of Google Assistant. However, do not forget that launching certain commands involves the use of sensitive information and, in those cases, the wizard will ask you to unlock the phone.
How to fix problems activating the OK Google command
If you cannot find the assistant settings or you are not allowed to activate voice activation, you must check that the Google application is installed and updated on your device. To check, open the Google Play Store, search Google and select the first result.
Search Google in store
As you will see in the following screenshot, our terminal has the application installed but not updated. If this is your case, you should touch Update to get the latest version.
Update the Google app
In addition, Google Assistant also appears as a separate application in the store. So again, use the search function and type Google assistant. So, open the first result.
Locate the Google Assistant in the store
Use the button Install to start the installation.
Install Google Assistant
This will ensure that your device has the necessary applications and that the latest features are available. If, despite this, it is not possible to activate the voice command, your device may not support this feature.
