You’ve probably heard it by now: Google announced their new feature that comes with the latest update of Google Chrome.
It is now possible to search using hands-free voice search. The latest version, Chrome version 35, publicly released “OK Google” and is now available in the desktop version of the browser. The new feature works on Chrome for Mac, Windows, and Linux but we’re still waiting for the announcement that it will be going to the mobile version soon.
Voice Search
The voice search is already available for Google Chrome for iPhone, but you’re still required to click on the microphone icon on the search bar to start using it. With “OK Google”, you don’t have to click anymore; instead, you can go about using the hands-free voice search. iPhone users are now waiting for the feature to become available on their device since there are a lot of situations where one will need to search without the help of their hands.
iPhone Users Need “OK Google”
People have started to rely on their iPhones for everything they need whether for their work, school or personal life. Sometimes, we’re busy with something and we need to do a quick search but our hands are full with work. When this happens, the “OK Google” should come very handy. Another situation where iPhone users will benefit from the new feature is when they’re driving and they need to search for a route. Since using of mobile phones while driving is against the law and very dangerous, we need a feature that will prevent us from doing this.
Changes to the Voice Search Feature
When Google Chrome was updated for iOS 7 last year, they have also made big changes in the voice search. You can now follow up another question after making one. As an example, if you ask “Who was the first President of the United States?”, you can follow up another question such as “when was his birthday” or “when did he die”. It’s very useful when you’re researching about someone or something and you need to make a follow up question. Google Chrome will immediately know who or what you’re referring to.
Your Voice Recordings are Being Sent to Google
If Google will deploy the “OK Google” feature on the mobile version, it will definitely help iPhone users manage their schedules better. Imagine being able to make a search via voice command and you don’t even need to use your hands, that is, if you don’t mind Google receiving records of what you say to your mobile phones. According to the company’s support page, the browser will send “the audio recording of the phrase “OK Google” and a few seconds before that to improve voice recognition.” When you enable “OK Google”, you will have the option of sending the sound of “OK Google” and the few seconds before or just the “OK Google” part. In the meantime when this new feature is not yet available on your mobile, you can try it out first on your desktop, so that when it’s finally available on iPhone, you will have a lot of practice by then.
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