There's a Chrome browser extension that lets users activate voice commands by saying "OK Google," but Chrome OS users soon won't need it anymore.
There's a Chrome browser extension that lets users activate voice commands by saying "OK Google," but Chrome OS users soon won't need it anymore.
The browser extension required users to have a specific page open for it to work, but Google has built the feature right in to the latest developer build of Chrome OS.
That means the operating system listens for the words "OK Google" all the time, no matter what you're doing or which pages are open.
This is, of course, an option, so if you'd rather it not listen -- for whatever reason, be it saving battery life when your Chromebook is unplugged or even privacy concerns -- you can turn it off.
Chrome OS's "OK Google" functionality hasn't rolled out in a wide update for the stable channel yet, but anyone interested can grab a version with the feature from the Chrome OS developer channel. If you're interested check out instructions on activating it over at the Chromium Code Review.