Anyone who browses the internet uses Google. It’s the central place to find anything you are looking for, from where the nearest dry cleaner may be, to what year Alexander Hamilton was born. However, all of the sudden you may have seen people searching “okay google” and wondering why.
One cool feature of Google is that at the bottom of the search results page you can see “Search results related to”.
Usually this will be normal, related searches. 99% of them make sense, at least in some way. For example, if you Google searched for “Kim Kardashian”, Google would probably also show you searches like “Kim Kardashian Siblings” (there are a lot of them!), Kim Kardashian Baby, Kim Kardashian App, and Kim Kardashian Kanye West. It’s a smart system.
So why then when you search certain topics does Google suggest “Okay Google” as a related search? Why would millions of people type “Okay Google” into their search bars? What could that mean?
The answer is those searches aren’t happening at a keyboard at all. “Okay Google” is what people with Android phones or who use Google’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based assistant say to activate it. It’s the same thing as asking “Siri” for something. Since many “Okay Google” queries are searches, they get grouped into the search engine data and show up in related searches. So, you get queries like this:
Ok Google Weather
Who Is The President Of The United States
Okay Google Maps
The History of OK Google
Way back in 2002, Google started Google Voice Search as part of the Google Labs incubator for ideas. A user would call a Google phone number and would be prompted to speak their keywords to return results. The early functionalities were likely mostly to allow easier search engine use for the blind and disabled.
Later, voice search was enabled via first the Chrome browser, and then all browsers by 2011.
Google Voice Search was rolled into a new product, Google Now, launched in the summer of 2012 with the release of the Jelly Bean version of Android. First, Google Now was meant in part to give Android phones a leg up in the Android vs. iPhone war, and compete with Apple’s Siri technology.
By 2013, Google executives were talking about “Conversational Search” like the type enabled in Google Now to be the future of searching.
What Can Okay Google Do?
Here are a few reasons to use Okay Google:
Ok Google Search
First and foremost, Google Now can help you search for things. You can ask “Ok Google, what time is sunset in Boston, Massachusetts?” and Google will tell you the correct answer. It’s important to form your questions in a clear, concise way. While Google Now gets smarter every day, it still helps to learn what the best ways to structure your questions are and to stick with them.
Write Emails, Texts And Notes
You can also also use Ok Google to email or text message your friends, or to write notes to yourself. Google Now’s ability to transcribe your voice into works is quite good, and it is often easier to just speak your thoughts rather than fumble with a small keyboard. Sometimes, of course, your hands aren’t even free!
Give You Directions
Google Maps is the best in the business, so it should be no surprise that Google Now succeeds marvelously at giving you directions. Simply say “Ok Google, give me directions to the aquarium” and Google Now will do so. You can specify whether you want to take public transit, walk, drive or ride your bicycle. If you want walking directions, simply add “Ok Google, give me walking directions to the aquarium” and you’ll be on your way.
Ask Ok Google to do math
Google is very smart – like, much better than most of us at math. So, next time you are in the kitchen you can ask “Ok Google, how many quarts are in a liter” or “Ok Google, what is 160 pounds in kilograms.” This is particularly useful if you are trying to buy something from another country and need to convert the sizes!
Where is Google Now available?
It is important to note that Google Now is available only in certain countries, and is best used from an Android phone. However, new technologies like the Allo chat app more easily alow you to bring Google’s intelligence to your iPhone or any other device.
All of this only scratches the surface of what OK Google can do, though you can see why millions of people use the search phrase every month!
Why You Should Use OK Google
The popularity of AI Assistants, whether Google now, or Siri, or Cortana, rests on the fact that we human beings are increasingly busy and need the ability to get more done each day. You can see this in the way we fill our slack hours now – with email, with podcasts, with information gathering, with social networks and even watching movies and videos on our phones.
The world is becoming increasingly competitive, and each person must maximize their time – after all, the more we get done in our work hours means the more we can enjoy our free hours. Artificial Intelligence Assistants like Google Now free us up to do more each day.
In other words, “Okay Google” searches are only going to get more popular, so you better get onboard now!