Do you all use "Ok Google" a lot ?

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Zorachus

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Just curious if any of you use "Ok Google" ?

I know it's been around for a long time, but I was always scared of the battery drain it would cause, so I never used it. But now I want to use my phone as a smartphone, I'd like to use it more hands free, just say Google, " call Mom ", or Google " text Tom; blah, blah, blah ", or Google "turn on WiFi"

Does it work as well as advertised ? Does using your phone like this, make it better, and easier not having to hold it and type something, or press through the menu to make a phone call ?

Is it a major battery drain ?
 
I used to use it quite a lot when I had my Moto X 1st Gen, since it had the dedicated voice processing chip and was the first phone to have OK Google capabilities during screen off. Ever since I moved on from that phone I haven't been using OK Google much.

The commands work really well and are useful, and the convenience is unparalleled. Very user friendly, just hop in the car and "OK Google, navigate to X" or you can go deeper and add a separate application (don't know what people are using these days), then you can make it do custom commands.

As for battery drain, I can't speak for today's phones.
 
It does use data connection (wifi or cellular) for many things, so it might drain a little extra power to do that function. In this regard, its similar to using the Google as the source for the speech to text function. The phone hears your voice, calls google via data connection and asks Google "WTF did my owner just ask me to do?" Google's servers reply back and the phone does what it's told.

AFAIK, it's an on-demand thing so it isn't doing things in the background eating battery.

I personally don't use it a lot. Saying "Ok Google do xyz" is 5+ seconds I can use to be in the app I need and already doing the function Google would be spending time figuring out. It's neat to use, but my familiarity with the programs already means it doesn't speed anything up.
 
I do quite a bit.. I anticipate having to talk to siri is going to be one of the harder parts of changing to an iphone since I have been "OK Googling" since its been available.
 
I don't use it much in the way of app opening but I use it all the time in the place of typing out a search. I haven't noticed any difference in battery life between the days I do use it and the days I don't.

As mentioned, it does need an internet connection, but being a smart phone I highly doubt that's an issue.
 
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I use it fairly often, mostly when searching online. Seems snappier and more accurate than Siri.
 
Use it all the time. I've been using it since it was first released. Far more accurate than Siri is. I can't stand using my wife's iPhone 6S for stuff like that. Siri is plain awful.

OK Google gets better the more you use it because Google learns from your speech patterns which makes it more accurate.

I also use it with my Smartwatch and it's just as accurate there too.
 
Ok, tried it out, and not totally impressed, it's not as seemless and smooth and easy as I would've liked. I want a Star Trek Next Gen type thing, where you speak openly in the air to Computer and it does whatever you need. We're not quite there yet.

I wanted to use it totally hands free, not even touch the phone, and not sure how to set it up that way ? Right now, you actually have to unlock the phone and go to the home screen and then say "Ok Google" So I did, and I said "Call Arlene" ( Wife's name ) it then asked :Call Arlene, or call Arlene Office, I said Call Arlene, it asked call Ilene ? I said Call Arlene, it said Call Arlene Office, I said again CALL ARLENE, and again it says please say the name you want to call. Ugh... :(

I tired another "Ok Google" "Call Mom" dials my mom's number, but then I wanted speaker phone on, to do this hands free while I worked at my desk, no option to tell it to turn on the speaker phone, i had to actually press the speaker button in the Dial app.

It seems to ask too many questions and not totally understand me 100%, I just want it too work smoothly and understand what I want immediately without pausing or anything, just do it like I would be talking to a real life human butler. I shouldn't have to repeat my request at all, I should say it once and then I want the phone to do it light speed fast.

I want the phone laying on the table next to my keyboard, and not touch the phone once, and just say "Google" Text Tom "Hey, we going to the Lombard Ale Fest on Saturday" an the phone should do it, no questions to me, just F'ing do it. No "Do you really want to send this message, ok say Send it. Fuck you, yeah I want you to send it, or I wouldn't have asked in the first place, fuck off Google, don't talk back to me.
 
I dunno if Google Home will replace my Amazon Echo when Google releases it. But right now I talk to Alexa several times a day. My home is pretty much controlled by it; I have my thermostat, lights, alarm, etc tied to it. (I need a robotic cook.) And it reads me my news, books, and plays my radio. There are the super annoying shit when it doesn't understand my words. And if I speak it even more slowly, it might cut off before it get my full command. For example, "Alexa turn bedroom light on" sometimes gets the response "I don't know what is broom light one"
 
Never tried. Apparently it does support Finnish now - with my accent that's essential since it would never understand my English. I prefer to do it myself than speak to my phone.
 
Zorachus said:
Ok, tried it out, and not totally impressed, it's not as seemless and smooth and easy as I would've liked. I want a Star Trek Next Gen type thing, where you speak openly in the air to Computer and it does whatever you need. We're not quite there yet.

I wanted to use it totally hands free, not even touch the phone, and not sure how to set it up that way ? Right now, you actually have to unlock the phone and go to the home screen and then say "Ok Google" So I did, and I said "Call Arlene" ( Wife's name ) it then asked :Call Arlene, or call Arlene Office, I said Call Arlene, it asked call Ilene ? I said Call Arlene, it said Call Arlene Office, I said again CALL ARLENE, and again it says please say the name you want to call. Ugh... :(

I tired another "Ok Google" "Call Mom" dials my mom's number, but then I wanted speaker phone on, to do this hands free while I worked at my desk, no option to tell it to turn on the speaker phone, i had to actually press the speaker button in the Dial app.

It seems to ask too many questions and not totally understand me 100%, I just want it too work smoothly and understand what I want immediately without pausing or anything, just do it like I would be talking to a real life human butler. I shouldn't have to repeat my request at all, I should say it once and then I want the phone to do it light speed fast.

I want the phone laying on the table next to my keyboard, and not touch the phone once, and just say "Google" Text Tom "Hey, we going to the Lombard Ale Fest on Saturday" an the phone should do it, no questions to me, just F'ing do it. No "Do you really want to send this message, ok say Send it. Fuck you, yeah I want you to send it, or I wouldn't have asked in the first place, fuck off Google, don't talk back to me.
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Many of the things you complain about can be done. You're just doing it wrong. ;)

Screen off tech works differently depending on OEM and you have to turn it on. Last time I checked Galaxy S7 can't do always listening "Ok Google" (Samsung blocks it) but the Samsung version of always listening "OK Google" works. OK Google should work though on S7 when the phone is plugged in as long as you have it enabled.

LG G5 the always on "OK Google" works. So at anytime I can simply say "OK Google, Text Christine I'll be home a bit late (period) I'm stuck at work."

With the HTC 10 you have I don't know if they allow it or not.

Using OK Google to make a call using speakerphone does work. You just have to say it. "Ok google call mom on speakerphone". Android and Google can only do what you tell it. Android may some day truly be Skynet and read your mind but it isn't there yet....or is it? :eek:

In terms of multiple numbers for somebody you have to be specific because that's what it needs. "Call Arlene's cell phone" "call arlene's office" "call Arlene at home". Right now if you think to yourself you want to call Arlene you have to decide which number to dial so don't expect Google to know which one you want to dial. You can say "call arlene" and have it query you about which number to call but being specific makes it easier and more efficient.

As with any voice controlled actions you need to speak clearly especially as you first start using it. It does get better the more you use it. Mine is superb nowadays because I've been using their voice actions since it was still called Voice Search (Yay for Gingerbread). So Google has a pretty good idea about my speech patterns now. ;)

Here's a pretty good list of all the OK Google commands: List of Google Now voice commands

Bottom line is speak clearly. Speak concisely. Be patient as Google learns.
 
QFT

Have used it for years now and could not do without.

You have to give it time to learn your speech patterns, commonly used words, and use the correct commands with it.
 
bastage said:
I do quite a bit.. I anticipate having to talk to siri is going to be one of the harder parts of changing to an iphone since I have been "OK Googling" since its been available.
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Well, you won't be doing many generic web searches (you can -- it'll pull up Wikipedia, for example), but I find that "hey, Siri" is good for a lot of specific tasks, like setting a reminder ("remind me to feed the cat when I get home") or starting navigation.
 
I should use it more, same with voice to text. Old habits are hard to break.
 
I use it all the time, never paid attention as far as battery goes as my phone gets plugged in every night regardless of usage.
 
How do you specifically have Google Now, do offline commands ? I don't like the always on feature, or location on, I only use location on when running GPS navigation, that stuff can be a battery drainer. But would be cool to tell Google Now to turn on WiFi, or text a person or make a phone call. Can that be done in offline mode ?
 
Zorachus said:
How do you specifically have Google Now, do offline commands ? I don't like the always on feature, or location on, I only use location on when running GPS navigation, that stuff can be a battery drainer. But would be cool to tell Google Now to turn on WiFi, or text a person or make a phone call. Can that be done in offline mode ?
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I'm never offline so I don't know the commands outside some of the simple ones.

The Google Android App Now Supports Limited Voice Commands For Offline Use

That article is a tad old now but there are instructions in it so you may be able to see if Google has added any other offline commands.
 
I use it to set reminders all the time. If I don't write it down or set a reminder, I'll usually forget.
 
Never use it at all. Heck I never even keep Google Now enabled. Never saw the point personally
 
The fact that Motorola supported hands free unlock and voice control 3-4 years ago, yet a new Nexus still doesn't, is ridiculous. I have to manually unlock my N6 then I can use voice commands which reduces its utility a lot. But I do use it quite a but, its convenient.

What is absolutely useless is 'Now on tap'. I don't even see anyone talking about it on the Android sites.
 
I use it mostly in my car. The ability to say "Play *artist/album/song/genre* on Play Music" is epic. And it makes calling easy, and messaging people on SMS and Hangouts ("send hangouts message to *name*") is sweet as well. Not to mention it's a lot safer sense there's virtually nothing I can't tell my phone to do, play, or navigate to.

Not sure why I don't use it much outside of the car. I should definitely start using it for reminders and timers more often.
 
T4rd said:
I use it mostly in my car. The ability to say "Play *artist/album/song/genre* on Play Music" is epic. And it makes calling easy, and messaging people on SMS and Hangouts ("send hangouts message to *name*") is sweet as well. Not to mention it's a lot safer sense there's virtually nothing I can't tell my phone to do, play, or navigate to.

Not sure why I don't use it much outside of the car. I should definitely start using it for reminders and timers more often.
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Probably in no small part because talking to an inanimate object your life details in public just feels odd.

I've met/seen precisely one person, ever, who I've heard use a personal digital assistant...and the first time I heard him talking I was seriously going WTF....then I realised he was talking to Siri.
 
Skripka said:
Probably in no small part because talking to an inanimate object your life details in public just feels odd.

I've met/seen precisely one person, ever, who I've heard use a personal digital assistant...and the first time I heard him talking I was seriously going WTF....then I realised he was talking to Siri.
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Hah, yeah, I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable using it in public. I was speaking more to while I'm around the house even when I'm alone though. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone use Siri/Google Now in public either.
 
I find that I use it most when I am driving and need to check hours of a store or recheck directions, works very well and its snappy on my GS7.
 
I never really used it. I tried for a bit but couldn't get used to it or have iot work to well for me so I gave up on it :(
 
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