OK Google: what is this voice command for and how do I deactivate it?

Available on Android Smartphones, the “Ok Google” voice command opens the way to various opportunities. This program seeks in particular to facilitate the use of mobile phones on a daily basis. Let’s discover together its different functionalities, but also the process for deactivating it.

Just say OK Google to your virtual assistant

Installed by default on Android smartphones, “OK Google” is a voice command allowing you to launch searches and various tasks. For example, the program saves you from using the keyboard of your mobile phone to enter a keyword. The response is also provided in audio mode. This is an interface through which you can communicate with Google Assistant.

In a race for virtual assistants, Amazon, Microsoft Apple and Microsoft have launched Alexia, Cortana and Siri respectively. In response to these high-tech behemoths, Google is offering its own similar program. At the beginning, the application equipped its Pixel Smartphones, but the Mountain View firm extended its distribution. Since 2016, owners of mobiles running Android 6 Marshmallow and later editions can use it.

Get contextualized answers

The voice command “OK Google” must be followed by a request. You can give a simple command like “play music” or ask a question. The response is immediate. Your Virtual Assistant will tell you, for example, the weather. The information takes your current city into account. As the app knows your location, it can tell you which restaurants are near you.

Cinema fans will also be able to request the TV program for the evening using the virtual assistant. It is even possible to ask a question on the way to a new hairdresser. The answers are relevant because Google takes the user’s personal information into consideration. The search engine and no less editor of Android and Map knows your exact location in real time.

Control connected devices in your home

Thanks to the voice command “OK Google” you can take control of all the devices connected to the Wifi signal in your home. You can pair the programs on the Smart TV with the heating. It will even be possible to check the status of the food stock in your connected refrigerator. Notifications will be sent to you, based on the different settings you should make in advance.

To be able to use the assistant, you should log in to your Google account. Make sure you calibrate your phone’s microphone correctly. In Settings you will find the Voice Match setting. At this time, you will be the only person who can give an order or ask a question to your virtual assistant. Unlike a butler, this technology is ready to help you at any time, even when you are not at home.

Clearing History and Disabling Voice Command

Like a human assistant, a virtual version knows your life down to the smallest detail. It records your next appointments, trips made and searches carried out with much more precision than a private secretary. Some experts even believe that the continuously open microphone constitutes an invitation into your privacy. In short, in hindsight, it is better to take the trouble to erase your digital trace by deleting your entire Google history.

Even more expeditious, deactivating the “OK Google” command gives you the certainty that everything that happens around you is no longer recorded. Open the Google app and tap the “More” button on the right. The setting is made in the Settings by specifying the devices (services) used. All you have to do is uncheck “Google Assistant” to deactivate it. The reverse process allows it to be put back at your disposal.