Soon, You Won’t Have to Say “Hey Google” to Launch Google Assistant
Amazon Alexa may have more “ skills ” and connect to more services, but when it comes to intelligent intelligence, Google Assistant is ahead of the competition (sorry Siri , it’s not even close).
The only problem is that the hot words used to activate Google Assistant are not entirely clear. “Hey Google” and “Okay Google” can be very intrusive, whether it’s me waking up and trying to get the words out first thing in the morning, or an Italian grandma who can’t get it right.
Amazon lets you choose between a few hot words that are easier to use, such as Alexa, Amazon, Echo, and even Computer. Now Google could do something better by letting you choose your own word to wake up its helper, at least according to some code found in the latest Google app update.
9to5Google dug around a bit and found that Google is laying the groundwork for custom hot words. The code details how you will create a new keyword and teach Google Assistant to recognize it. Google also notes that the original “Hey Google” and “Ok Google” will still work even if you add another parameter.
It’s unclear if (or when) this feature will appear on Google Home speakers . We only see this on the Google mobile app at the moment, but it’s probably only a matter of time before custom hot words show up in the smart speaker lineup as well.