Note 4 with "Ok Google" While Screen is off - Moto X Feature

cheaptoad · Nov 6, 2014

I don't have an always on check box on my N4. I have three boxes I can check.

1. From Google search app
2. From any screen
3. When locked

I have all three checked and I can't get it to work when the screen is off.

Fleetwood · Nov 6, 2014

This feature is temperamental as buggery on my phone, and it's really disappointing. Sometimes it works perfectly. I say "OK Google" and it'll come straight from a switched off, locked screen to the Voice Prompt and await my instructions.

And then later on, without me doing anything, it'll just stop working. So I'll be repeating "OK Google" like a foolish madman and it'll ignore me completely. To fix it, I have to simply press the microphone button on the Google widget and speak, and once I've done that, it will once again listen and respond to "OK Google".

As someone else said, this feature needs to be reliable to be useful. It's a crazily fantastic feature, when it works. I know from searches that a lot of people struggle but out of interest, is there anyone out there with a Note 4 that uses this daily (as in, over 10 times a day) and never has a problem with it?

Hope they fix it in the Android update, if it's a software glitch and not hardware... I heard these phones have a hardware chip in them to listen for "OK Google", and hope it's not that that's screwed up.

KOLIO · Nov 6, 2014

Fleetwood said:
This feature is temperamental as buggery on my phone, and it's really disappointing. Sometimes it works perfectly. I say "OK Google" and it'll come straight from a switched off, locked screen to the Voice Prompt and await my instructions.

And then later on, without me doing anything, it'll just stop working. So I'll be repeating "OK Google" like a foolish madman and it'll ignore me completely. To fix it, I have to simply press the microphone button on the Google widget and speak, and once I've done that, it will once again listen and respond to "OK Google".

As someone else said, this feature needs to be reliable to be useful. It's a crazily fantastic feature, when it works. I know from searches that a lot of people struggle but out of interest, is there anyone out there with a Note 4 that uses this daily (as in, over 10 times a day) and never has a problem with it?

Hope they fix it in the Android update, if it's a software glitch and not hardware... I heard these phones have a hardware chip in them to listen for "OK Google", and hope it's not that that's screwed up.

FWIW,I recently came from using three other phones that "OK GOOGLE" worked flawlessly on: OPPO FIND 7/OPPO N1 & OnePlus' 1+1 ,all running CYANOGENMOD 11.

I suspect it has something to do w/S-Voice.
I may be wrong,but,on other phones I've used to train voice recognition,you stay within GOOGLE'S SEARCH/SETTINGS app.On this phone,what appears to be S-VOICE pops up for voice recognition.
I've been away from SAMSUNG for about a year & wouldn't be surprised if little to no improvements have been made.

JimKnuckles · Nov 6, 2014

It works flawlessly for me...it just not working when the screen is off .
Google now prompts like its supposed too, but the screen just doesnt light up.

KOLIO · Nov 6, 2014

JimKnuckles said:
It works flawlessly for me...it just not working when the screen is off .
Google now prompts like its supposed too, but the screen just doesnt light up.

Mine is actually working,even w/the screen lighting-up.It's just slow as molasses compared to my previous phones.
That's why I suspect S-Voice is playing a role in some users experience being less than stellar.
The lag/delay in response from S-Voice is apparently still unchanged from last years Note 3.

rborelli · Nov 6, 2014

Mine works with the screen off.

Bob

carme4 · Nov 8, 2014

I've spent the past two days tearing my hair out and my phone and settings apart and I give up. It must be a software glitch with Google Now. There are times it will work from the home and lock screens and other times I have to manually tap the microphone to "wake it up". Also suddenly yesterday when I ask Ok Google a question, nine times out of ten it won't speak the response like it did the day before to the identical same question!!! It will respond to SOME things, but not others like the day before!!! Anyone else having this issue?

Fleetwood · Nov 8, 2014

carme4: I have been having precisely those issues. Exactly the same, even the bit about it not speaking sometimes.

I'm thinking it may not be software though, these phones have a chip that listens for the voice, part of the processor I believe... don't know if it's this that is playing up or the software...

My phone has been working fine for 24 hours now, the last setting I changed was to turn the voice synthesis engine from S-Voice to Google - probably just coincidence though, I am sure it will mess up soon, every time I thought I fixed it in the past, the problem comes back, exactly how you describe.

KOLIO · Nov 8, 2014

Fleetwood said:
carme4:

My phone has been working fine for 24 hours now, the last setting I changed was to turn the voice synthesis engine from S-Voice to Google.

This is what I'm wishing to do.
How do you go about changing that to GOOGLE?
(Been using phones w/CYANOGENMOD recently until I switched into the NOTE4,not used to sorting through all of the mfg touches).

THX!

EDIT:
I found the text-to-speech options & GOOGLE is already selected,not sure if I'm looking in the right place...........

Fleetwood · Nov 8, 2014

Settings --> Language & Input --> Text to Speech options --> Google TTS Engine

Mine wasn't set to Google by default. I doubt changing that option should affect OK Google's workings. I guess a text-to-speech engine only comes in to play when reading text, and shouldn't interfere with the OK Google detection, however funny things can happen, and the phone's continuing to be OK at the moment after changing that setting, it is far too early to say whether the problem is fixed or not. I may ring Samsung on Monday if it goes wrong over the weekend as my provider included a number to ring them if I have problems with the phone.

carme4 · Nov 8, 2014

I already had my phone set to Google TTS but went so far as to go back and forth and it made no difference. Suddenly now it is responding to questions verbally as opposed to just showing the screen for the identical questions yesterday! Go figure! But it still won't respond to OK Google from the lock screens unless I have just been on it recently. I also noticed it starts to get warm (the phone) and then the responses don't seem as loud as if the volume decreases.

JimKnuckles · Nov 9, 2014

Fleetwood said:
carme4: I have been having precisely those issues. Exactly the same, even the bit about it not speaking sometimes.

I'm thinking it may not be software though, these phones have a chip that listens for the voice, part of the processor I believe... don't know if it's this that is playing up or the software...

My phone has been working fine for 24 hours now, the last setting I changed was to turn the voice synthesis engine from S-Voice to Google - probably just coincidence though, I am sure it will mess up soon, every time I thought I fixed it in the past, the problem comes back, exactly how you describe.

Again for me, it's working just fine. It's just not working when the screen is turned off.

When I say okay google, Google Now prompts but the screen doesn't light up. So it's not the Google Now software.

I did a factory reset yesterday and after doing it, it was working just fine from a blank screen. After all of my apps were installed later in the day, when I tried to access google now a turned off screen, it was happening again. Google Now promoted to my voice, but the screen wouldn't turn on.

This leads me to believe that some app I am installing is preventing the phone from waking. I can't figure out which one it is tho...

Podivin · Nov 9, 2014

Mine works fine, screen on or off. I have the voice TTS set to S-Voice.
However I've got one of the Verizon flip covers on it (turns the phone on when you open the cover, off when you close it). It seems to struggle more with the case closed. I can say "OK Google" and hear it respond, say what I want and hear the chime that indicates it understood. Then depending upon how long I took to do all of that the closed case puts the phone back to sleep either before Google can respond or during it's response. If I use Google with the cover open it works much better, I guess it's not working against 'turn off' signal that the closed cover is sending.

However, I also have S-Voice set to automatically respond when the phone is asleep. IT can keep the phone awake long enough to do whatever it is I've asked it to do. No doubt a perk of being the Voice of the device manufacturer.

So, not sure if either of you has this type of cover on your phone, but if you do try opening it to see if it makes a difference.

JimKnuckles · Nov 9, 2014

JimKnuckles said:
Again for me, it's working just fine. It's just not working when the screen is turned off.

When I say okay google, Google Now prompts but the screen doesn't light up. So it's not the Google Now software.

I did a factory reset yesterday and after doing it, it was working just fine from a blank screen. After all of my apps were installed later in the day, when I tried to access google now a turned off screen, it was happening again. Google Now promoted to my voice, but the screen wouldn't turn on.

This leads me to believe that some app I am installing is preventing the phone from waking. I can't figure out which one it is tho...

I have figured it out on my end.

For some reason, you have to have some form of screen lock on for it to work with the screen off. If you have no unlock, the screen will not light up. I dont typically use any kind of screen lock.

I just changed mine to swipe, and sure enough the phone is waking everytime as it should when I say Okay Google.

andy roddy · Nov 9, 2014

davidlawrence said:
Do you know if this has a significant toll on battery life?

I would like to know this as well. This would be a useful feature to enable if it doesn't wreck battery life.

KOLIO · Nov 9, 2014

davidlawrence said:
Do you know if this has a significant toll on battery life?

andy roddy said:
I would like to know this as well. This would be a useful feature to enable if it doesn't wreck battery life.

Without any specific numbers/statistics to present,I'll say no,need not worry.
A weak data &/or WI-FI signal is your worst enemy as for battery drain,especially if you're in a fringe coverage area of either or both for hours on-end.

Fleetwood · Nov 12, 2014

My phone is going back re: "OK Google" and some other glitches, namely the screen started flickering on then going straight off after a charge. My new one comes tomorrow. If the new one works fine, then great, if not, screw you Samsung for making crappy overpriced phones.

carme4 · Nov 12, 2014

After much GOOGLING about this issue, I'm convinced it's not our phones, it's an issue with Google. There are so many threads about this on other forums as well and it's happening with all types of phones.

KOLIO · Nov 12, 2014

You're probably on to something there,especially phones w/mfgs U-I's intertwined w/GOOGLE apps in general.

Conversly,I recently came from the OPPO FIND 7/OPPO N1/OnePlus' 1+1 & w/CYANOGENMOD 11,& GOOGLE NOW/OK GOOGLE worked flawlessly,very fast response to voice commands & search.

While I enjoy the many features of the NOTE 4 (especially the I-R Blaster & Wireless Charging),it still pales in comparison to any of the above mentioned phones as far as pure performance goes.

I wish SAMSUNG would separate some of the TOUCH-WIZ features into apps that can be d/l from the SAMSUNG APPS or GOOGLE PLAY STORE,perhaps enabling better overall performance.

ganj_420 · Nov 15, 2014

Just a heads up, the "Always On" option in the Google Now voice settings is only available if S Voice is enabled. If you disable S Voice it defaults back to "From Any Screen." Which is still cool, but not as cool as being able to it with the screen off.

I just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone wanting to disable S Voice. That was one of the first things I did when I got my phone because I was just gonna use Google Now, had no use for S Voice so why keep it on? Well I think Google Now on the Note 4 relies on S Voice ability to listen with the screen off. Even the set-up process, after you select "Always On" to train the voice model, is through S Voice, not Google Now like it used to be if you set it up for any screen. So in short, disabling S Voice disables this awesome feature.

KOLIO · Nov 15, 2014

KOLIO said:
FWIW,I recently came from using three other phones that "OK GOOGLE" worked flawlessly on: OPPO FIND 7/OPPO N1 & OnePlus' 1+1 ,all running CYANOGENMOD 11.

I suspect it has something to do w/S-Voice.
I may be wrong,but,on other phones I've used to train voice recognition,you stay within GOOGLE'S SEARCH/SETTINGS app.On this phone,what appears to be S-VOICE pops up for voice recognition.
I've been away from SAMSUNG for about a year & wouldn't be surprised if little to no improvements have been made.

ganj_420 said:
Just a heads up, the "Always On" option in the Google Now voice settings is only available if S Voice is enabled. If you disable S Voice it defaults back to "From Any Screen." Which is still cool, but not as cool as being able to it with the screen off.

I just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone wanting to disable S Voice. That was one of the first things I did when I got my phone because I was just gonna use Google Now, had no use for S Voice so why keep it on? Well I think Google Now on the Note 4 relies on S Voice ability to listen with the screen off. Even the set-up process, after you select "Always On" to train the voice model, is through S Voice, not Google Now like it used to be if you set it up for any screen. So in short, disabling S Voice disables this awesome feature.

I'd suspected as much,may explain why some are reporting sluggish/less-than-stellar performance w/voice search-command(s) response.

Wish it weren't tied-in w/S-Voice.
The suspicious side of me thinks SAMSUNG does this to mask the poor performance of S-Voice on its own vs stock GOOGLE SEARCH/GOOGLE NOW..........

carme4 · Nov 15, 2014

I had given up on this, could have sworn I allowed S Voice, turned it off, used Google TTS, Samsung TTS, etc. Tried everything, or so I thought. At any rate, I tried it again today from the lock screen and it is working BEAUTIFULLY!!! I also downloaded the app UTTER which works with Google Now flawlessly. It opens from the lock screen as well and you can name it whatever you please, have it call you whatever you please and respond in a phrase, full of curse words if you wish, and it basically does everything you want and if it doesn't know the answer you can program it to default to Google Now or just say Ok Google. I spelled out the name of my "assistant" from Utter to my husband and it responded to my spelling and asked how it could help me, hahahahahaha!!

Don't know if it was S Voice or not, but Ok Google is working, Utter is working and I"m having a blast having my phone call me "your majesty"!

Note 4 with "Ok Google" While Screen is off - Moto X Feature

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