Okay Google Now!

[Old Member]

I thought this would be a good place to talk about one of the most publicized features of our phone. Feel free to give tips of making more useful, funny stories and frustrating attempts at getting it to work right.

The phrase "Ok Google Now" allows the user to interact with their phone with voice commands only.

So far, I've only played with it for about 30 minutes at home. I had hoped that I could say, "Okay Google Now, play Metallica" and it would. However, when I say something like that it takes me to a websearch for Metallica.

When I ask for help, so that I can see the phrasing it wants me to use, it isn't much help.

I tried saying "Okay Google Now, Update my Facebook status and it did a web search for Facebook status.

This is good in theory and MAY be good for search, but so far I'm not overly impressed with the feature.

Thoughts?

 

[blackwizard]

couldn't agree more with these comments. every thing i try (other than "ok google now, call person X") just takes me to a web search. hopefully some google now wizard will appear and help us out, because this wizard is out of ideas!

 

[Palyriot]

These are the allowed commands. Instead of "play" you have to say "listen to".

https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2842392?hl=en

Really, we can't blame the Droid Maxx for this. This is all Google Now.

When you say "okay google now" it says right there to say "help me" to get a list of commands. Did you guys not see this?

 

[Old Member]

When I ask for help, so that I can see the phrasing it wants me to use, it isn't much help.

When you say "okay google now" it says right there to say "help me" to get a list of commands. Did you guys not see this?

Clearly I did see the "help me" and I have said, "help me". The help it gives really isn't much help at all.
I agree it's not the Maxx's fault, it is Google Now's "fault". I however wouldn't say it's anyones fault. I would say it's early and bugs have to be worked out to make it more user friendly. There is a learning curve on both ends. That is why I started this thread, to give tips and offer help when people figure out what works better.

Again, RIGHT NOW, "Okay Google Now" isn't very useful. Maybe when I've learned to use it better and they make some improvements on their end. Maybe not.

 

[blackwizard]

i've also said "help me" and read all of the tips there. what i would like to know is why, when i say the phrase exactly like it is said in this video, why don't i get the same response? why do i get a google search results page with links to the weather channel?

i agree this is a google now problem, not a Droid Maxx problem, but it clearly does not work the same for everyone.

 

[Jersey Tom]

I only played around with it a bit. Is it something I'm going to use 100% of the time? No. But it is pretty nifty. While sitting down with a greasy burger in one hand and beer in the other...

"Okay Google Now, wake me up at 6 am" and boom, done.

"Okay Google Now, what was the score of the Yankees game?"
"...the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 8 to 4"

 

[Outatime]

I've had pretty good luck with this. I think there's only two times I've tried it that I had to repeat myself. I have successfully done the following commands:

Launch calendar.
Set appointment for August 27th at 4:30 PM.
Launch IHeartRadio.
Who is Indiana Jones?
Navigate home.

The ONE thing Google Now has a hard time with and it really makes me mad! My wife's name is Terri. It's a 50/50 toss up when I say "Text Terri" that it either works correctly or says, "Contact: Terry unknown."

 

[18t]

The ONE thing Google Now has a hard time with and it really makes me mad! My wife's name is Terri. It's a 50/50 toss up when I say "Text Terri" that it either works correctly or says, "Contact: Terry unknown."

I just figured this out last week while screwing around in contacts. Go to edit under Terri's contact and select add new, then select phonetic name, enter in whatever is misspelled (terry) then BOOM!

 

[Outatime]

I just figured this out last week while screwing around in contacts. Go to edit under Terri's contact and select add new, then select phonetic name, enter in whatever is misspelled (terry) then BOOM!

OMG you rock!!! I didn't know you could do that!!!

 

[jntdroid]

They need to make texting as interactive as the Assist app does.

"Ok Google Now, text so-and-so, I'll be there in about 15 minutes"

Then it pops up and you have to read the text to confirm it's correct and then hit the "send" button... What's the point of "touchless"?

The Assist app, while in driving mode, will read your text to you and prompt you for a voice response as to whether or not you want it to send the generic "i'm driving" text back. I don't see why they can't implement the same all the way through.

 

[Old Member]

I've noticed (and others at Android Central) that "Okay Google Now, Launch Pandora" does not open Pandora. It acts like it's going to, but it never launches.

Also, for some reason if I say, "OK Google Now, Play Metallica". It only plays one song, Enter Sandman. When it's over, it replays again and again and again. I have EVERY Metallica song in my library. Strange.

 

[rabidhunter]

I've noticed (and others at Android Central) that "Okay Google Now, Launch Pandora" does not open Pandora. It acts like it's going to, but it never launches.

Also, for some reason if I say, "OK Google Now, Play Metallica". It only plays one song, Enter Sandman. When it's over, it replays again and again and again. I have EVERY Metallica song in my library. Strange.

I think the command for playing music is actually, "Okay Google Now, Listen to Metallica." Can't remember where I read that, but using the listen to command might help.

Edit: Or maybe not, that might be the command for Youtube. At any rate, the good news is that the Voice Control system is seperate from the OS and will be updated through Google Play rather than in a system update. So hopefully they can fix those bugs.

 

[Old Member]

At any rate, the good news is that the Voice Control system is seperate from the OS and will be updated through Google Play rather than in a system update. So hopefully they can fix those bugs.

^This +1

 

[mistermojorizi]

i've also said "help me" and read all of the tips there. what i would like to know is why, when i say the phrase exactly like it is said in this video, why don't i get the same response? why do i get a google search results page with links to the weather channel?

i agree this is a google now problem, not a Droid Maxx problem, but it clearly does not work the same for everyone.

i get the same response as seen in the video AND a search page with results. I had to go into the touchless control settings and turn on voice output (i'm assuming that's what you're missing)

 

[blackwizard]

i get the same response as seen in the video AND a search page with results. I had to go into the touchless control settings and turn on voice output (i'm assuming that's what you're missing)

i'm finally getting the voice output but it never tells me the weather for my current location. not even if i have GPS turned on. it ALWAYS gives me weather for Chicago (i live in south Arkansas). the only way i can get my local weather is to say "ok google now, what's the weather in <insert home town>"

that's kinda bunk

 

[doogald]

i'm finally getting the voice output but it never tells me the weather for my current location. not even if i have GPS turned on. it ALWAYS gives me weather for Chicago (i live in south Arkansas). the only way i can get my local weather is to say "ok google now, what's the weather in <insert home town>"

that's kinda bunk

I just tried it and it worked for me.

In settings->location access do you have Google Wi-Fi & mobile network location turned on? If yes, try turning that off and see if that fixes it. I've had issues (with my old phone) where my location was showing up way off, I thought due to a mixup in WiFi or network location.

 

[blackwizard]

I just tried it and it worked for me.

In settings->location access do you have Google Wi-Fi & mobile network location turned on? If yes, try turning that off and see if that fixes it. I've had issues (with my old phone) where my location was showing up way off, I thought due to a mixup in WiFi or network location.

nope, just tried it. same result. my phone LOVES Chicago. i love the city too, but unfortunately it's several hundred miles away from me

 

[distortedloop]

My friends and I get a chuckle out of asking Google now the temperature outside, because when it comes back and speaks the answer, it gives the location as the zip code and reads it out as if it were a long have number. Example: it will read zip code 91355 as 91,000 300 55

 

[Einsteindks]

I didn't like the idea of saying 'Google Now' all the time, it felt too much like free advertisement for Google every time I said it. So instead, I use 'okay, Droid Maxx', and it works! I haven't played with it too much to see if I could actually give the phone a name and use that instead of the prescribed catch phrase.

 

[rabidhunter]

I didn't like the idea of saying 'Google Now' all the time, it felt too much like free advertisement for Google every time I said it. So instead, I use 'okay, Droid Maxx', and it works! I haven't played with it too much to see if I could actually give the phone a name and use that instead of the prescribed catch phrase.

What was the setting you used to do this? I like that idea.

 

[Einsteindks]

What was the setting you used to do this? I like that idea.

Ain't no setting, bro. Just say whatever you want when training it to your voice. If it works, yer set! :-D

 

[rabidhunter]

Ain't no setting, bro. Just say whatever you want when training it to your voice. If it works, yer set! :-D

Sweet, good to know. "Okay Moto slave" sounds about right.

 

[landolakes]

OK droid maxx is all I could get to work.

 

[Thom]

Curious.

I tried "OK Droid Maxx" and it was accepted.

If I say "OK Droid Maxx" it prefaces everything I request with "max". It allows me to leave it off.

So ... now with my phrase "OK Droid Maxx" recorded I can just say "OK Droid" as the key ... for me "OK Droid time" reports the current time.

Curious.

... Thom

 

[Old Member]