Google is adding “Hey Google” sensitivity to Google Assistant devices
Google is rolling out a sensitivity setting for “Hey Google” commands for all Google Assistant devices. First spotted byXDA Developers’ Mishaal Rahman, the feature should help those who accidentally trigger Assistant if they are saying “Google” a lot in the house for some reason.
You can also turn up the sensitivity if you feel your Assistant device can’t often hear you well, but it’s mainly there to stop accidental triggering.
Finally, the Google Home app is about to add “Hey Google” sensitivity options for each Google Assistant device.https://t.co/a7R2pxLCLIpic.twitter.com/LJ6GpAj7CY
The other angle is that this is a privacy measure. Sometimes Google Assistant devices like the Google Home get triggered by words that sounds like “OK Google” or “Hey Google”, thus recording people talking when it was unwanted. The fact that Google’s storing of audio is somewhat a grey area, it might help people lessen the accidental recording of private conversations.
That said, if you’re that worried about a device in your home freely recording you, you probably won’t own a physical voice assistant or use one on your device.
Google confirmed to The Vergethat the feature is to “roll out gradually” to Google Assistant devices.
Author: Henry Burrell, Contributor
Previously Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, Henry covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.
