A voice assistant lets you check things like the weather, set alarms, play music and look up information without even touching your phone. On Android, you have options like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Samsung’s Bixby. Android does let you pick any app as the default assistant. But it doesn’t allow just any app to react when you say the wake word, like “Hey Google”. That’s mainly for privacy since the phone needs to listen all the time through the microphone. A new Android 15 feature called “voice activation” could fix this using a private “adaptive sensing” tech.
Currently on Android, only Google Assistant and the phone maker’s choice, like Bixby, can launch by voice command. A hidden setting in the latest Android beta hints at this “voice activation” feature. It may expand the options to more apps. The feature is supposed to keep your data private through built-in adaptive sensing.
The setting has a page for “voice activation apps” under Settings > Apps > Special app access. This lets you choose which apps get the new “voice activation” permission. It says the feature “turns on approved apps hands-free using your voice”. Adaptive sensing ensures data stays just for you. There’s a link for more on adaptive sensing but that page isn’t ready yet. So we don’t know exactly how it keeps your voice private. It may use Android’s secure system called Private Compute Core. This processes audio offline and privately. Approved apps wouldn’t handle mic data themselves.
Code mentions link the new permission and API to hot word detection. This means the ability to listen for wake words will turn off if an app loses permission. Apps may be able to react to custom or preset wake words. There is a link between wake words and this new feature.
Interestingly, third-party apps could get the new permission. This changes from previous Android versions only lets system apps access wake words. Google removed that for apps in Android 12, citing security. If Google opens up voice activation to more apps like promised, apps like ChatGPT could activate hands-free. ChatGPT is preparing default assistant support. But even as default, you can’t use it hands-free like Google Assistant. Android 15’s feature could enable that. This may also help Amazon Alexa app only respond when open. A handful of phones briefly let Alexa activate from any screen. Now only Google Assistant and Bixby support fully hands-free voice on Android. But this may change with Android 15.
More details are still secret since it’s in development for Android 15. But if third-party apps can use the voice activation, it could make ChatGPT and others launch completely hands-free!
