Google Assistant trigger phrase is too common

[Kevin-B]

I've been trying Google Assistant on my Turbo for the last two weeks. The biggest problem is that my partner and I both have Android phones, so if either of us (or a TV commercia) says "OK Google," both phones start listening. That's at best a huge nuisance -- having to grab the incorrect phone and make it stop listening -- and at worst a security weakness.

I don't want my phone to be controlled by people on the street, audio from radio or TV, and other sounds out of my control. With Moto Voice, the trigger phrase could be nearly any 4- or 5-syllable phrase of my choice. Partner and I used different phrases so nothing got triggered unintentionally.

If I were to get Google Home (which I won't because of this), anyone who walks in my home could access it and start making trouble. Really bad idea. And for the moment, since Google Assistant offers little that Moto Voice doesn't, I'm going back to Moto for its customizeable phrases.

Am I overlooking something here? Is there a reason I want this to function this way? Evidently, a lot of people are complaining to Google about this ....

 

[Thom]

I use the Moto app and the phrase "OK Turbo".

Have you investigated Tasker and the Auto-Voice plug-in?

... Thom

 

[Kevin-B]

I use the Moto app and the phrase "OK Turbo".

Have you investigated Tasker and the Auto-Voice plug-in?

... Thom

Thanks Thom!
Do Tasker and Auto-Voice work with Google Assistant? None of my searches found anything that could reliably change Google Assistant's trigger. (I don't really plan to return to the nerdy Tasker eco-system just to get the limited benefits of G Assistant, though.)

Moto Voice app, of course, is a piece of cake. I change my phrase whenever I think of something that makes me feel clever!

 

[Thom]

I do not have an answer to that. I have not played with it.

A curious thing to consider. I was showing my Turbo 2 to a customer and demonstrating the voice control and how it only responded to the sound of my voice and my launch phrase.

He has a curious capability. He can duplicate the sound of someone else's voice. HE used my launch phrase and my Turbo 2 responded as if I had said it.

... Thom

 

[Unforgiven]

I added this to the OK Google channel.

 

[doogald]

Wait - as far as the Turbo is concerned, I thought that "OK Google" does not work when the phone's display is not on. You shouldn't have to worry about strangers tripping it on the street unless you are actually using your phone at the time.

Only Moto Voice listens for its trip phrase with the display turned off, right? Or am I missing something?

I can't answer about Google Home, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I get one of those, or an Amazon Echo, or anything like it, in my house. Those devices seem to be solving problems I don't seem to have. I do know that the Google Home does have a mute button, so you can turn it off when you leave the house, know that you are having guests over, etc. That should solve the stranger information leak issue.

 

[Thom]

I thought that "OK Google" does not work when the phone's display is not on

Which app are you referring to? The pre-installed apps on the Turbo and Turbo 2 both reqpond when the phone is on and the screen is dark.

... Thom

 

[doogald]

Which app are you referring to? The pre-installed apps on the Turbo and Turbo 2 both reqpond when the phone is on and the screen is dark.

Google Assistant. I know that the built in Moto Voice does respond with the phone display off when you speak your trained catch phrase, but the OP's question was specifically about Google Assistant's "Ok Google" support, which, as I said, I believe only works with the screen powered on, and cannot be trained to a different phrase? Or am I wrong about that?

 

[Thom]

There are three ...

The only one I know anything about is the one that is pre-installed in the Turbo and Turbo2.

I don;t know anything about Google Assistant (the subject the OP was asking about).

I don't know anything about ...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sdeteam.gsa
... that is the forum/channel wehre this thread seems to reside.

... Thom

 

[Kevin-B]

Wait - as far as the Turbo is concerned, I thought that "OK Google" does not work when the phone's display is not on. ...

Only Moto Voice listens for its trip phrase with the display turned off, right? Or am I missing something?

Doogald and Thom: You guys are great, as always.

I had overlooked that "Google Assistant" doesn't activate when the phone is off, making it (a) not really a threat from random strangers and (b) far less useful than the Moto application. So I'll definitely switch back to Moto with voice activation. I'll pick my custom phrase to activate no matter what state the phone is in.

Thom said:

I don't know anything about ...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sdeteam.gsa
... that is the forum/channel wehre this thread seems to reside.

The app you point to, Thom, seems to be some third-party garbage that merely documents the commands. I'm not sure whether this thread should have been moved to this section, but here it is.

Finally, Doogald, your comment about solving a problem you don't have is spot-on. I was at a friend's house last week. He had both Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices. He was hard pressed to describe what good they were. Evidently he bought a few expensive light bulbs and can turn them on or off remotely -- not something I am currently craving. He can set a phone alarm by yelling at the device, and I can do it by yelling at my phone. He can request music, now that he's bought brand new digital amplifiers to accept Chromecast gizmos, but doesn't. The best part is that any one of the four people in the house at that time could mess with any of those functions, since the devices are promiscuous in whose voice they'll accept.

Glad to have the input on all this. Just wanted to check that my impressions about Google Assistant's limitations are correct. You've both confirmed it.

 

[doogald]

Finally, Doogald, your comment about solving a problem you don't have is spot-on. I was at a friend's house last week. He had both Google Home and Amazon Alexa devices. He was hard pressed to describe what good they were. Evidently he bought a few expensive light bulbs and can turn them on or off remotely -- not something I am currently craving.

Which you can probably do with a quick tap on your phone, or even a phone voice command.

He can set a phone alarm by yelling at the device, and I can do it by yelling at my phone.

Yep. This is actually the only voice command I ever use: "Set a timer for five minutes." I do this when I am lighting my Weber charcoal grill, which has a propane starter that takes about five minutes to start the charcoal. My hands will be covered with charcoal dust - so it's a perfect use of voice commands.

He can request music, now that he's bought brand new digital amplifiers to accept Chromecast gizmos, but doesn't.

Again, easy to do with your phone as well, with either a tap or a voice command. I use an Apple TV for music in my house, for which I use a handful of iTunes smart playlists based on specific types of music that I might want to listen to. I don't need the ability to change what I am listening to all that often that an always-listening speaker is necessary.

But, that's me. And, I guess, you.

 

[codesplice]

The app you point to, Thom, seems to be some third-party garbage that merely documents the commands. I'm not sure whether this thread should have been moved to this section, but here it is.

Good call. I moved it to the Channel for the Google app, since that's what provides the "OK Google" actions.

On topic, I concur that Assistant being triggered by any random utterance of the phrase "OK Google" can be kind of annoying. There are rumors that Google Home, at least, is preparing to support multiple user accounts, at which point I hope the service will be better able to distinguish between voices and only respond to the correct one - but we're not there yet.

I have Assistant on my phone, watch, and on my Google Home, as well as Alexa on an Echo Dot. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but you're right again that they don't necessarily solve any real problems. I do enjoy the convenience afforded by being able to perform some of the actions already mentioned, but they don't particularly enrich my life in new and exciting ways. I'm a bit of a geek, and I like playing with geek toys; I kind of feel that's who these products are marketed for as of right now.

 

[Kevin-B]

Good call. I moved it to the Channel for the Google app, since that's what provides the "OK Google" actions. .

Thanks, codesplice! This location makes a lot more sense.

Not that any one but we 4 or 5 nerds are either interested in this thread or in turning lights on and off with our phone!

Like you I totally geek out on stuff that catches my eye and will waste valuable hours. I've lost enthusiasm for the early adopter experience with Google, though. These days Google seems to be randomly generating duplicate products with duplicate features [Hangouts & Allo] [Google Assistant & "OK Google"]. It's emotionally draining to invest time setting up a cool new feature only to have Google lose interest in it over time.

Thanks for the thread moderation!