In addition to its slew of announcements at I/O earlier yesterday, Google this evening rolled out a major update its Search app on Android. Bumping the app to version 3.5.14, the update adds several new features, but the biggest is the ability to activate a voice search from anywhere within the operating system. This feature was initially reported on back in April, but is only now making its way to the app. To enable this feature, you have to go into Google Now, scroll to the bottom, tap Menu and navigate to Settings, then Voice, then toggle the “Ok Google” Detection setting. After doing this, you can prompt a voice search from anywhere in Android by simply saying “Ok Google” followed by a command. The feature works anywhere in the O.S., including from the lock screen.
Google Search 3.5.14 is beginning to rollout with a couple of major enhancements. First, Google is allowing users to enable the “OK, Google” hotword to be said from anywhere on the phone to prompt a voice search. So rather than having to be on your home screen, you can now be in Chrome or looking at photos and quickly kick off a voice search. The update even allows you to trigger an “OK, Google” from the lock screen. It works quite well so far in our testing. To turn on the new hotword detection, head into Google Now, then scroll to the very bottom, tap Menu>Settings>Voice>”Ok Google” Detection, and then toggle on the options you desire. The app doesn’t just bring new hotword glory, though, it also introduces Audio History. As the name suggests, Google is using your voice searches to create a history that it can use to make your searches more accurate. It learns the sound of your voice, how you pronounce words, etc. In case that scares you on a privacy level, Google is letting you opt-out if you’d like. You can read more about this new Audio History at this support page.
