Microsoft made Windows 10 the last version of Windows ever. It's important to understand that from the first day, you are on the cutting edge of a platform that will be updated for an unknown uncomfirmed number of years. With full support released in July 2018 giving us general availability, this article is not just about OK Google and Windows 10, but also how to enable it right now.
In 2014, Google launched its voice activation feature for their browser, Chrome. This feature was aimed to match the existing voice recognition features like Siri for Apple products and Cortana for Windows 10. However, in 2015, Google removed the feature since it was not well-received and had a negative impact on the consumption of battery life of a laptop.
For regular computers, the Chrome browser still has a voice-assisted search by manually clicking on an icon to enable the feature. On Chromebooks, laptops that are run by Google Chrome operating system have the full version of this feature. The phrase ‘OK Google’ is the initiation phrase of the voice activated feature.
It is under Google Assistant settings and can only function if enabled to promote usage of gadgets hands-free and boost human productivity as consequence. Here are methods for enabling it.
Method 1: Desktop Method
- Open the browser Google Chrome.
- On the new tab of the browser, tap the microphone-looking icon found in the search bar. Do not be confused between search bar and address bar. The address bar is located at the top portion of the browser.
- As you tap the microphone, another window will open wherein you can state your command or question. Before that, a dialog box may appear requiring permission for Google Chrome to access the microphone hardware. Just click ‘Yes’ to proceed. If your computer doesn’t have a built-in microphone like the laptop, you are required to insert the hardware before proceeding.
- Once everything is done, you can state your question preferably in clear English.
- Once the browser recognizes your question and understands it, it will proceed to give you results. You can now view them.
- In case you are not satisfied or get erroneous results, repeat the process with clearer diction in your pronunciation. Avoid words with homonyms as much as possible.
Method 2: Chromebook Method
Here are steps for using this method:
- On your Google Chromebook, enable the Google Assistant. To do that, click the system clock located at the lower-right corner, next to the ‘gear’ icon. The page for ‘Settings’ will appear.
- On the Settings page, scroll down on the window until you have located ‘Search and Assistant’. Click then the option ‘Google Assistant’.
- On the next screen, enable the ‘Google Assistant’ if it’s not yet toggled on.
- Navigate to the ‘OK Google’ setting. In its drop-down menu, there are 3 selections provided; Always On, On (Recommended), and Off.
- You can select either ‘Always On’ or ‘On’ if you want to utilize the ‘OK Google’ feature.
- Once the Google Assistant is active, you can state your command or question by saying ‘OK Google’. Once you do, a pop-up window will appear asking the question “Hi, how can I help you?”.
- If you have additional inquiries, you can speak in more details. If you want more results, click the button ‘G Search’ that is found at the lower-right corner. When you do that, the Chrome browser will appear.
Method 3: Mobile Method
Here is how to enable OK Google using the mobile method:
- Open Google app and then, open ‘Settings’. Take note that Google app is different with the Google Chrome app. The ‘Settings’ is usually found when you tap on the ‘three dots in vertical’ icon and navigate to the bottom of the menu.
- Afterwards, choose ‘Voice’ and then turn on the settings for ‘Hey Google/ OK Google’. Once it is enabled, choose the option ‘Voice’.
- For Android users, after selecting ‘Voice’, you will be directed with a set of instructions before Google Assistant will recognize your voice to finish the set-up.
- For iOS users, choose the ‘whether you want to have a voice search start when you say, OK Google’ option. After making selections, tap on ‘Done’.
Summary: Enable 'OK Google' in Windows 10
- Add Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome
- At the top right, click the three dots icon and select Settings
- On the left menu, click Privacy and security
- Scroll down to Security and then make sure that Use a prediction service to load pages more quickly is ON
- Open a new tab in Google Chrome
- At the top right, next to your profile image (or a picture of a person if you don't have one), click Sync is ON. This will open a dialog where you can turn sync off or on.
Conclusion
We hope that these three methods help you enable OK Google in your Windows 10. As you enable the Google voice activation feature, make sure that you speak clearly enough for proper recognition. Be cautious also not to be reliant on it as it is only developed for the sake of comfort.