Google Assistant is a helpful thing to have, no doubt. However, shouting ‘Ok Google’ in public and not having your assistant respond can be somewhat embarrassing.
In this article, we’re going over a few fixes for why your Google assistant isn’t answering your commands.
Also read: 7 ways to make the most out of your Google Assistant
Check your phone
The first thing you should check is if voice invoking your assistant fails your phone itself. It’s highly unlikely that the Google app on an Android smartphone would lose its permissions to your mic, but there’s a chance that it can.
Another possible cause can be a malfunctioning microphone. Try recording a video or just your voice to check if your mic’s working properly. If it is, check permissions for the Google app and ensure it’s got everything it needs.
- Open your phone’s settings and tap on Apps & notifications.
- Tap on Show all apps.
- Find the Google app in the list. Tap it to proceed.
- Tap Permissons.
- Ensure that the app has mic permissions and everything else it needs.
Force stop the Google app
At times, it’s the app itself that’s to blame. You can force restart the app to get it running again.
- Open your phone’s settings and tap on Apps & notifications.
- Tap on Show all apps.
- Find the Google app in the list. Tap it to proceed.
- Tap the Force stop button to stop the app.
Now restart the Google app and check if your voice can invoke Google Assistant.
Check the voice match
To work, the assistant needs to have a sample of your voice to know what voice to respond to and who to not. You also need to check whether or not voice invocation is enabled. Here’s how.
- Open the Google app and tap on More in the bottom right.
- Tap the Settings option.
- Tap Google Assistant.
- Tap on Voice Match.
- Ensure that the Hey Google toggle is enabled. If you want, you can retrain the voice model by tapping the Voice Model option under the toggle.
Check the language settings
If you’re running incorrect language settings, Google Assitant will naturally have problems identifying your voice. Here’s how to ensure they’re in place.
- Open the Google app and tap on More in the bottom right.
- Tap the Settings option.
- Tap Google Assistant.
- Tap Languages.
- Ensure the correct langauge is set here. If not, you can add the desired language by tapping Add a language.
Also read: How to disable the Google Assistant button from the home screen on Android?
