You may well have heard of Ok Google, Google’s voice search system. However, it may also be the case that you do not know exactly what it is, so we are going to explain what Ok Google is and what it is for. In this way you will know if you want to try it and benefit from all its advantages.
Through Ok Google, Google’s voice search system, you can use the search engine making a query aloud, without having to type. This allows you to do a search very quickly and much more comfortably, even having your hands full at the time.
Although it is a Google product, you should know that you can install and configure it on both your Android and is (Apple) mobile phones. Also, you should know that all mobile devices have it, both smartphones and tablets.
It is a cross-platform command that you can activate and that will automatically open the search engine just by saying “Ok Google”. In addition, you can also activate the functionality by clicking on the microphone icon that you can find located in the search bar.
What is it for Ok Google
Google Assistant has many different uses, ranging from asking you about the weather to knowing the traffic to finding a restaurant, among many others.
Some of its most used functions are the following:
- Weather
- calls
- messages
- alarm
- Music
- Reminders
- nearby sites
- Search
- Translation
- timers
- calculator
- answer
However, these are just some of the many features it offers.
Control the mobile
Also, keep in mind that there are a number of features that are exclusive to Android phones. These do not work on all phones but they do on many of them. Some commands for this are:
- Turn up the volume
- record to video
- activate flashlight
- Activate Bluetooth
- disable flashlight
- take a sulfide
- Activate the sound of the mobile
- Brighten up
- Music
- disable wife
- volume down
- Turn off airplane mode
- Activate Wi-Fi
- mute mobile
- Activate airplane mode
- disable Bluetooth
- take a picture
- open what Sapp
- I want to listen to ARTIST
- lower brightness
How to activate Ok Google
If, once you have learned the above, you are interested in knowing how to activate Ok Google, carefully follow the steps below:
Check that your software is up to date
First of all, you must make sure that the software of your smartphone is updated to the latest version and also the Google application itself. For this, it is enough to enter the application store of your phone, be it Android or Apple, and thus be able to know if it offers you the possibility of updating it or not.
Voice search activation
Once you make sure that you have it updated, you must activate the voice search.
If you have an Android mobile device, you must go to the Google icon to open the application and click on the “More” option. In it you will have to go to More -> Settings -> Voice -> Voice Match -> and activate the option « Access with Voice Match «. In this way, every time you say “Ok Google ” with the screen on, the voice search engine will listen to you and attend to your requests.
However, after activating it in that section, you will have to follow a wizard in which you will have to repeat the phrase “Ok Google” several times to create the voice model.
In case you want to activate it from an iPhone or iPod, you must do a Google search and go to the “More” option. Then you will have to go to more -> Settings -> Voice, from where you can activate the search by simply saying “Ok Google”.
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Advantages and disadvantages of using Ok Google
Voice assistants like Ok Google have numerous advantages like the ones we have indicated. Some of the most prominent are:
- Information without limits. You can make any type of query you need and the assistant is in charge of searching it on the internet to give you the information instantly.
- Schedule and calendar. It is possible to control the calendar and always have under control the events or personal appointments that you may have.
- Music playback. Just by asking for your music list or a particular song you can play it and enjoy it.
As for its main disadvantages, these are mainly two, but both are of great importance. For this reason, you must assess whether you are really interested in activating this function or not. These are:
- Personal Information. In order to use the wizard it is essential that you enter your personal accounts, so in some way you are giving the service personal information that you may not want to give.
- Listen continuously. The biggest problem with voice assistants lies in their privacy, which is in question when using them. This is because through the devices in which they are present, they are continuously listening to what you speak, which means that they can be recorded and store data on their servers. In this way, it is an inconvenience for all those who want to preserve their privacy as much as possible
Tanner Abraham
Data Scientist and Software Engineer with a focus on experimental projects in new budding technologies that incorporate machine learning and quantum computing into web applications.
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