How to make 'OK Google' work on the Nexus 5

Number29 · 6 Nov 2013 at 16:19

By all accounts, I've read that by simply saying 'OK Google' from the home screen on the Nexus 5, this allows you to give voice commands to the phone. However, when I say 'OK Google', the phone does absolutely nothing. Has anyone got any idea how to make this work?

Many thanks

#29

00bob00 · 6 Nov 2013 at 16:21

change the search default language to English(US) from English(UK) and it will fix that for you.

Rusty! · 6 Nov 2013 at 16:23

But it will ruin the phones ability to understand you.

Number29 · 6 Nov 2013 at 16:23

00bob00 said:
change the search default language to English(US) from English(UK) and it will fix that for you.

Wow, why doesn't it work in UK English and what other things will changing this setting do?

Thanks

#29.

Myshra · 6 Nov 2013 at 16:29

Yeah it's a fiddle but it works. Nothing else seems to really change much aside from the obvious spelling (it will think you're saying color etc...)

Number29 · 6 Nov 2013 at 16:36

Myshra said:
Yeah it's a fiddle but it works. Nothing else seems to really change much aside from the obvious spelling (it will think you're saying color etc...)

Is there no way to use this voice function to control the phone, such as saying 'shuffle favourites playlist' or something like that? Maybe I'm misunderstanding what this feature is supposed to do!

Thanks

#29.

MLAM · 6 Nov 2013 at 17:14

I've set only the google search to US English, I can't say it has had any issue understanding me.

Everything else is UK English including SMS dictation.

rogueblade · 6 Nov 2013 at 17:26

Is there anyway to make it work while the screen is off like the Moto X?

Clipsey · 6 Nov 2013 at 17:37

rogueblade said:
Is there anyway to make it work while the screen is off like the Moto X?

/starts talking to MotoX

Bit more of a novelty than anything else I think.
However, when I have used it (English in the States) it has understood everything I've thrown at it.
The continued searches/info works great as well.

Myshra · 6 Nov 2013 at 17:53

If I were a clever app developer I'd take the framework item that does always on listening and port it but that's possibly harder than im making it sound.

Camalot · 6 Nov 2013 at 18:16

Me and the mrs put our n5s side by side. One on us and one on UK English. The difference was obvious , UK got me right 100% of the time where us got most wrong.

Teledude · 6 Nov 2013 at 19:30

Myshra said:
If I were a clever app developer I'd take the framework item that does always on listening and port it but that's possibly harder than im making it sound.

It uses a low power core in the X. The N5 could do it, but fairly sure battery usage would be silly.

Rusty! · 6 Nov 2013 at 20:09

No one is due if the snapdragon 800 has a dedicated voice control processor it seems. It might be able to do it without taking a hit, it might not.