The Google Search app for Android was updated yesterday. The update now allows a voice search conversation, similar to the Siri on the iphone. According to Google’s official post about the new version, other features are some updated cards and traffic incidents.
When you don’t provide enough information for a command, Google will now verbally ask for clarification. You can give it an open-ended command like “send a text message” and Google will ask who you want to send the message to. You can then say a name and it will ask what the message should be. When Google has all the info it needs, it will ask if you’re ready to send the message and when you answer ‘Yes’, it sends the message to the recipient.
Before this update, “send a text message” would just open the SMS app, now you can send a text verbally without having to type your message. When you open the App, you can activate the voice functionality by saying ‘Ok Google’ and give it your voice command. The update can also allow you make a direct call to a contact on your phone number by simply giving it a voice command like ‘Call John”.
Earlier in August, Google rolled out an update for voice search on desktop computers, but it didn’t have a conversational voice command
The Google search is not totally hands-free yet as it doesn’t read the message back, it displays the result of your search query and doesn’t ask if you want to send it.
The new voice functionality is available in Google Play store for Android, just click to update the Google search app to get started.
