Reports have indicated that the feature is well underway, with insiders confirming that the sensitivity function is already slowly rolling out across devices.
The folks at XDA Developers were the first to find the new feature, fiddling with the code on a Google Home device until they managed to spring the function into action.
Once it was activated, members of the team discovered a new slider that would allow you to adjust the sensitivity of the ‘Hey Google’ function, effectively making it harder to accidentally activate the assistant.
Related: Read our Google Home review
Finally, the Google Home app is about to add "Hey Google" sensitivity options for each Google Assistant device.https://t.co/a7R2pxLCLI pic.twitter.com/LJ6GpAj7CY
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) April 21, 2020
The same publication claims Google has confirmed the new feature is coming soon, and The Verge has since reported that the feature is already arriving on some devices, as it rolls out slowly across countries.
Google first mentioned the new function all the way back in September, in a blog post.
Buried amongst the apologies for accidental snooping, the post gives a few details on how the new feature will work, stating: “Soon we’ll also add a way to adjust how sensitive your Google Assistant devices are to prompts like “Hey Google,” giving you more control to reduce unintentional activations, or if you’d prefer, make it easier for you to get help in especially noisy environments.”
This should hopefully fix Google Home users’ woes, as some have reported accidentally turning on their device when mumbling near it, or not being able to get the speakers to recognise a command over the sound of noisy toddlers.
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The new sensitivity slider looks set to land on both Google smart speakers and displays. There’s no official road map for the rollout yet, but given that Google has confirmed that it’s started the process it should be available on your speaker sooner rather than later.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
