Here’s an interesting test of Google kicking its smart displays: voice command input without hotwords. A video explaining the feature is on YouTube John Boromius, Nest Home Hacker, has a track record that has been proven to hit early smart display features before it was announced.
Poromius Nest Hub Max Somehow it is in “docfood” mode, which means it gets the initial, non-public configuration of the smart display software, which is for internal use only on Google. A special menu called “DocFoot Features” lists a “Blue Steel” feature that allows the device to respond to commands. Without First you have to say “Hey Google” hotword – it will respond if you say a command. Poromius says the device hears commands “after detecting presence”, so if someone is in front of the display, it will start answering questions.
Today Google’s voice command hardware hears all the time, but only to the “Hey Google” hotword. Once it is detected, it will start executing additional commands. More advanced processes use HotWord as a cut-off point for connecting to the Internet – the “Hey Google” detection is enabled locally, after which anything is uploaded and processed and stored on Google’s servers. Not only by uploading the following words on the internet, Hotword also acts as a consent form, because it is annoying to hear the device all the time and respond to every thing that can be understood as a command.