Google Now is a great search companion on Android devices, but sometimes even the best listeners can have auditory processing issues. Fear not, weary Web searcher. There is now a fix that allows users to engage in successful voice commands more naturally.
Constructive Criticism
Despite the capabilities of the voice-operated search assistant, Google Now can still misinterpret some voice commands. A user could say “Farsi,” but instead Google’s voice detection system hears “far seeds.” Thankfully, according to 9to5Mac, the company has taught its OS how to humbly take constructive criticism. Now users only have to repeat the misheard portion of a voice search. Returning to the example above, the user would say “Okay Google: No. I said ‘Farsi,'” and the voice assistant will correct its search.
Another possible example is, “How are the New York Yankees doing?” Google may here “keys” instead of “Yankees,” depending on how the user enunciates the team name—and to a larger degree, if the user has trained Google Now to recognize their specific voice pattern. One can correct the search phrase by saying, “Okay Google: No, I said ‘Yankees.'”
OK Google!
While this is definitely an advancement, the process still creates delays. After Google confuses a portion of the voice search, users must again say, “Okay Google” to trigger the microphone for another voice command. Then the corrective feedback trigger of “No, I said…” can be used.
Proud owners of the Samsung Galaxy S5 are surely familiar with the enhanced voice recognition Google recently released. The update widely improves voice search capabilities on Android devices while expanding number of spoken search terms that can be recognized. Now we can ask Google things like, “Who is the producer of ‘Gone With the Wind?'” or “Has [flight number] landed?”
Have you tried the new Google Now voice search assistant? Tell us about your experience.
Image courtesy of Flickr
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