The “Ok Google” feature is not new to anyone today, software developers are going out of their way to make search faster / more accessible / more functional. But not everyone knows that voice search can also be used on a computer, whether desktop computer or laptop. All you need for this - the presence of a microphone. On laptops, it is a built-in device; for a stationary PC, you will have to purchase it. Of course, your computer must have an internet connection.
In addition to having a microphone, you need to make sure that the browser itself is installed on your PC. Google Chrome". If you enter the Google search bar through, for example, the Opera program, the function voice search will be unavailable.
IN previous versions Google Chrome needed to independently connect voice control. On the Internet, you will find a lot of information on how to manually set up "Ok Google" for PC. But this data is already outdated.
"Google Chrome" is constantly improving and now you don't even need to configure anything. A new version search engine already has built-in voice control.
That is, all you need to set up "Okay, Google" is to make sure that your browser has installed Latest updates. As of January 2018, this is the version 63.0.3239.132.
Installing and configuring "Ok, Google"
In order to check for an update, click on the icon in the top right (circled in red) and scroll down to the line " Settings».
In the settings field, select the bottom line " About browserChrome"(indicated by the arrow). 
By clicking on it, you will see the following: 
It checks for updates and, if your version is outdated, the program immediately makes the necessary changes.
Then the line will appear in the field " latest versionGoogle Chromealready installed». 
On the start page you will see in search line on the right is the microphone icon (indicated by an arrow). This is the “OK Google” feature. 
All that is required of you - click on the icon voice search, while the browser requests access to the microphone. To use voice search, you must confirm permission.
Feel free to start testing the function. Left-clicking on the microphone icon will activate it. It looks like this: 
Now speak any query that interests you. The phrase "Ok Google" is no longer necessary. The voice command must be spoken clearly, but it is not necessary to speak loudly. 
The search engine processes your request and displays the result, the robot voices the found answer.
To the query "How to get to the library", Google requested permission to determine my geolocation. Having determined the location, the program found the nearest library and laid a route to it. All this took less than one minute! 
If "Google Chrome" does not find a specific answer to your question, it will return the search results for your phrase as a list of links.
When launched, the browser will prompt you to register an account in Google Chrome. This will allow you to keep necessary settings: Maps directions, calendar reminders, mail configurations, and more.
Just a few years ago, for many users, voice control was something fantastic. Movies and books have long used voice control, and real life developers could not get anything worthwhile. But still, after a couple of years, millions of users from all over the world began to use voice control and now everyone supports it. modern smartphones and Android tablets. As you know, it was Google that introduced into its smartphones the ability to control devices using voice, you can not only type texts, but also call, send messages and turn on music. What else can be done with voice control and whether it is needed, read in today's article.
I group- the ability to control the functions of the device itself. Do you want to set an alarm, but at the same time, without pressing a single time on the display? To do this, you just need to say the phrase "Wake me up at such and such a time." Do you want to listen to music? You can say "Play playlist". This also includes dialing functions, information about messages, calls, and more.
II group- commands aimed at searching for any information. To get the result you need, you just need to connect to the Internet, after which, using a voice query, you can find out the weather on the street, view the score of the match played, find the lyrics to a song, or find out who Ernest Hemingway is.
True, there are still some limitations that developers are trying to fix. For example, you will be able to recognize films that are shown in Moscow cinemas, since the city is large and this information is considered in demand, and if you want to do the same, but with a smaller city, you can get a lack of information, which, of course, saddens.
It is noteworthy that some systems voice control are able to support text input, both normal and thanks to translators. True, it should be understood that it will be difficult to recognize a long sentence and you can get a real “mess of words”, so try to pronounce them breaking up into short phrases. The situation is exactly the same with commands, but in most cases they are short.
10 voice control features for Google Now service:
- Setting reminders, for example: "Remind me to call Alexander on Monday."
- Creating events in the calendar, for example: "Calendar, watch the match of your favorite team at 21-30".
- Open desired applications, for example: "Open Google Keep".
- Dial the number of a specific subscriber by name or degree of relationship, for example: "Call Alexander" or "Call my sister."
- Playing movies and music purchased from Google Play, for example: "Watch The Hobbit" or listen to "Bitter Mist".
- Find out the route from the place where you are now to the final destination, for example: "Routes, Vladimir, Bolshaya Moskovskaya, 13".
- Find out the city in which certain sights are located, for example: "Where the Golden Gates are located."
- Find out the weather in the city, for example: "The weather in Vladimir on Saturday."
- Learn the meaning of words, for example: "What is "genetics""?
- Search for photos of places of interest, attractions, etc., for example: "Photos of Old Trafford".
First, you don't have to do anything by hand. If people who do not want to click on small application icons and go somewhere to launch, for example, a calendar, while others are driving and, in order to protect themselves, type a message using their voice.
Secondly, some people want to talk always and everywhere, but a smartphone can become an excellent conversationalist, though more like an encyclopedia, but still, this is not a cat or a dog that will rejoice at you and nothing more.
Thirdly, there are such situations that the smartphone function needs to be turned on precisely at a distance. For example, you can take a photo by turning on the front camera and take a photo of yourself. Or (if you have a tripod) put your smartphone on a tripod, start the camera and just give a voice command. There is nothing complicated, but the picture is of high quality.
Back in 2011, the Siri voice assistant was integrated into the operating system. iOS system, which is the beginning of the use of this assistant in the iPhone 4S and next generations of smartphones. This technology has room for development, in particular, Apple has not yet taught Siri to respond and understand Russian normally, but the function is in demand and is constantly being developed by adding something new.
Everyone used to think that Siri would ship with Android devices, but as soon as this technology was acquired by Apple, all plans remained only plans.
Now, voice control is actively used not only among young people, but also by wealthy adults, and this is facilitated by a huge set of applications that allow you to give commands to your device using your voice.
Smartphones pre-installed with the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system have a built-in Google service Now is an assistant that can do all of the above. In fairness, it is worth noting that the program does all actions based on your current location, history search queries, application launches, etc. actions that allow the assistant to learn. To take any action, you just need to turn on the Internet, launch Google Now and say the phrase "Ok Google" or simply click on the microphone icon next to the search bar.
It is noteworthy that Google Now received the Russian language only at the end of 2013, so now you can ask questions and commands without any problems in our native language. I repeat again with this application you can: call the desired subscriber, write SMS messages, set reminders, alarm clocks, run programs (games), take photos, find out any information, get directions and much more.
There are a huge number of applications with similar functionality, but they were forgotten exactly at the moment when Google Now began to understand the Russian language. In any case, you can install any voice application, for example, Assistant and check its functionality by comparing it with Google Now, in addition, most programs work with Android OS versions below 4.1.
For those people who move all the time, the creators of the Android mobile operating system have come up with a special add-on that takes over the function of searching for the required information on the Internet. Also, this function is able to take over the execution of some commands on mobile device.
How to enable Ok Google on Xiaomi smartphone?
To launch the application, you must click on the desktop icon, which is located under the "Voice Assistant" item. The second way, which is original, is a special voice command “Ok Google”.
The first option is more or less simple and clear. The second option requires configuration for smooth operation.
To do this, you need to open the system "Settings" gadget, go to item "Advanced settings" or "Additionally" and select a section "Language and input".
A window will open where you need to click on "Google voice input" ("Speech Synthesizer" in MIUI 9), and then click on “Ok Google” recognition or gear icon.
Now, when you press the central touch button on the smartphone, a window will appear Google search. At this moment, you need to say the very phrase “OK, Google”, and ask any question or request an action.
Thanks to these settings, the smartphone will respond better to the user's voice commands.
Possible options for launching the voice assistant:
- Via Google programs;
- From any smartphone screen;
- When driving a car.
Of particular interest is the second item “From any smartphone screen”, which will allow you to launch the electronic assistant from anywhere and from any program.
It is necessary to activate this item and repeat the phrase “Ok Google” three times. This will help you respond appropriately to the sound of your voice. operating system and do not start the assistant from the phrases of strangers.
If everything is ready, then we call the code phrase and start using the functions of this device.
The most popular requests are launching applications, dialing a number or searching for information on the Internet.
How to disable "Ok, Google"
- Open the Google app.
- Click on the menu icon in the top left corner and go to Settings > Voice search > "Ok Google" recognition.
- Uncheck when the smartphone should respond to this voice command.
How to turn on "Ok, Google" on a computer
This can be done if you are using the Chrome browser. (relevant for browser version 46 and below). In order to enable the ok google function in Google Chrome - go to the browser settings, click "Show additional settings”, and then check the box “Turn on voice search on the command “Ok Google”.
Without a doubt, the ability to issue voice commands to control our smartphone or tablet or search for the necessary information is a very convenient thing that can help us in a variety of situations.
All the more frustrating is the fact that one day we find that voice commands and Ok Google search do not work on our device. Today we would like to present you with several ways to fix it.
So let's get started:
How to fix voice search and OK Google commands not working
1. First of all, try the easiest way: restart your smartphone or tablet. In this case, it is desirable to turn it off completely, and then turn it on. In many cases, this helps fix some of these kinds of problems.
2. Remove updates google apps and install the latest version again. To do this, go to the "Applications" section of the main system settings, find the Google application here and uninstall its updates.
Reboot your device, go to Play Market, find the Google app in My Apps and update it to the latest version.
To do this, go to Google app settings -> "Settings" -> "Voice search"
Here, first of all, you need to make sure that you have downloaded a voice package corresponding to the language installed on your system by default (the “Languages” item). To do this, go to the "Offline Speech Recognition" section and if there is no voice pack for your language here, download it.
4. If all of the above did not help you, go to the settings section of the Google application with the name "Ok Google Recognition" and make sure that the recognition of voice commands on any screen is enabled here:
5. If this does not help, re-record the sample of your voice by entering the corresponding menu item Google settings(screenshot above right).
6. Disable S Voice on your smartphone or Samsung tablet. If you want to use Ok Google voice commands on your Samsung smartphone or tablet, disable the proprietary S Voice voice control system on it, which may conflict with Google voice search.
7. Check the microphone of your smartphone or tablet. This advice is more suitable for tablet owners who may not know about problems with the microphone or the microphone of their device that does not work at all: smartphone owners will be informed about this by their subscribers at the first phone call.
Translation of Dave Lee's article
For the last month, I've been turning off my alarm with the word "Google". This is how I wake up. With the words "Ok, Google." Not content with controlling our lives both online and offline, Google wants to make us yell the name of their corporation all over the house.
The first morning I felt stupid, but I told myself to wait before jumping to conclusions. A month later, my patience ran out. I'm going to explain in detail what exactly the problem is.
I often tease my predecessor, Richard Taylor, for being the only person I know who uses Apple's Siri personal assistant to its fullest.
You'll be standing there minding your own business while Richard pulls out his phone and starts dictating text messages. Right in front of you. In front of strangers. I find it inconvenient, he thinks the opposite.
It's understandable why he likes it so much - he uses this feature quite often, so voice recognition is perfectly tuned to his speech style. But what I can't understand is how he can calmly talk to a piece of metal when there are so many people around.
As for me, I need to cut off all my fingers in order for me to consider doing this in front of people. Home is the only place where I can overcome myself in this regard.
So, in the corner of my kitchen is an Amazon Echo, a stylish little black cylinder that glows blue when it listens to me.
And in the corner of my bedroom is the same stylish Google Home with its little lights.
Both devices are very accurate. The voice recognition is very accurate, the speaker quality is amazing, and the processing power of these devices is enough to decipher my tricky requests.
I talk to them in a whisper, barely audible, so that the neighbors don't think I'm a super nerd.
Something wrong
But here's the difference. To access Amazon, you call your assistant by name.
"Hey Alexa, what's new?"
The same goes for other assistants: Siri from Apple or from Microsoft. You don't necessarily have to call them by their first names when they work, but it still creates a pleasant impression of interacting with a person.
For the same reason, we love movie characters endowed with artificial intelligence. This makes us feel warm towards them.
In my heart, I understand that there is no difference in "Ok Google" or "Hey Alexa." It adds neither privacy nor practical value. Both devices do exactly the same thing - they use my data to help me (and then sell me something).
But I'm talking about a certain "awkward" factor that I feel for myself. He cannot be underestimated. When I use Amazon Echo, I am talking to Alexa. When I use Google Home, I have to go to a corporation. Or, as Buzzfeed's Mat Henani puts it, "I hate to keep saying 'OK Google' just because it makes me feel like I'm talking to a brand."
Achilles' heel
Back in October, when Google held intriguing events around the world in order to launch Google Home, I got to have a little chat about it all with Michael Sandermeyer. He leads the product design team this device.
Initially, everything was going to give the system a friendly name, but the reason why they changed their mind is quite understandable: they wanted to give the impression that you are interacting with Google directly. To get not an assistant, but an omnipotent, omniscient Google.
“This assistant is Google,” Michael comments. “This is something that Google has been working on for 18 years.”
friendly face
It's a huge step towards what we really want to have one of these personal home assistants join our family life and become indispensable.
If we have the feeling that we are talking to real person, then this can be considered a huge step in the right direction.
Talk to the owners of the Amazon Echo and they will immediately begin to tell you about how they developed a fondness for Alexa. I'm not the only person who often adds "please" and "thank you" when talking to her.
But as long as Google forces you to bark "Ok Google," Google Home is certainly not able to become complete. personal assistant. He will be helpful and very good. But not personal.
It's worth considering that the Google Home Assistant has the full power of the Google ecosystem. It provides a better service than Alexa, Siri or Cortana. But it would be foolish of me to stop halfway, so I will try to use the influence of this blog in order to change Google for the better. I have an alternative.
A friend of mine noted that all assistants (with the exception of Siri) still have female voices, thus perhaps slightly supporting the idea that the assistant is still exclusively the work of a woman.
So let's go in the other direction: pay homage to one of the company's founders, Larry Page. I would love to yell, “LARRY! Turn up the volume!".
This means that I would start my morning by saying hello to Larry from bed, but what's there. Neighbors look at me like that.
