'Ok Google' not needed: Google Assistant Quick Phrases spotted on Pixel 3 XL

Google Assistant is Google's voice assistant that helps users do basic tasks with the help of voice commands. Generally, the process of getting a task done with Google Assistant involves waking up the assistant with the help of wake up commands such as 'Ok Google' and then speaking a command statement. While the process is quite simple in itself, Google was reportedly working on adding a feature to its voice assistant which would eliminate the need to wake up the assistant before giving a command. The new feature is called Google Assistant Quick Phrases and has been spotted in Google Pixel devices. 

On September 3, 2021, Republic World reported about the Google Assitance Quick Phrase feature in development. The Google Assistant's APK contained hints of code for a feature called Voice Shortcuts. The report suggested that Google Assistant will be able to do several tasks without the need to say "Ok Google" or "Hello Google" to wake up the voice assistant. Additionally, the report also mentioned that users will be able to assign tasks to quick voice commands as well. 

Google Quick Phrases spotted on Pixel 3 XL, might be coming to other devices soon

According to a recent report by XDA Developers, Quick Phrases was spotted on a Pixel 3 XL device that was running the latest Android 12 beta. The Google App version on the device is reported to be v12.36.17.29. The new feature puts Google Assistant on standby whenever a user receives an incoming phone call or an alarm/timer goes off on their phone. When the feature is enabled, a user will be able to respond to a call by simply saying 'Answer' or 'Decline' without the need to wake up the voice assistant by saying 'Ok Google'. Likewise, when an alarm goes off, a user can say 'Stop' or 'Snooze' to dismiss it.

While Google has made no announcements about the feature yet, the report mentions that the feature might have come with Android 12 beta, which was the operating system on the Google Pixel 3 XL device on which the feature was spotted. Another report from 9To5Google says that Google Assistant Quick Phrases will be available on other smart devices manufactured by Google and users will be able to set alarms, respond to calls, ask about the weather, control volume and do other such tasks without the need to wake up the voice assistant first. 

IMAGE: XDA DEVELOPERS