Mysterious feature, or was my phone hacked?

[AC Question]

So I am freaking out, and I hope you can tell me I accidentally triggered some feature on my phone and that I'm not being messed with by some hacker. Here's my story:

I'll start by saying my phone is a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, and it was updated as much as verizon allowed it to 4.2.2.

Yesterday my wife and I were having a conversation about the definition of the word "listen". Why we were having the conversation really isn't important, but what happened after has me very concerned. The next time my phone chimes to let me know I have an email, a male voice comes immediately after saying the word "listen". The first time I heard it I didn't know where it was coming from, but after the second chime I realized, IT'S COMING FROM MY PHONE!!!!

I couldn't find any sound on my phone that had this voice, and now I wish I had recorded it, but I was so freaked I just reacted. I wrote an email to myself/potential spies reading/listening in to "stop spying on me" then I reset my phone a couple times and the voice was still there with the chime. I reset my phone again and the voice is gone, but I'm too freaked out so I factory reset my phone.

So, do you think there was some hacker listening in on our conversation and thought it would be funny to somehow add that "listen" to my phone's chime, or by saying "listen" repeatedly within earshot of my phone did we somehow trigger some sort of feature on the phone?

I've never heard of this happening and can't find any google searches about it. The only app that was on my phone that seems remotely related to voice activation was google "talk back" which installed itself in an update at some point, but I never turned on. Could it be that?

Anyways, I hope you can shed some light on this because like I said, I'm freaking out.

Nate

 

[wizzrah]

So I am freaking out, and I hope you can tell me I accidentally triggered some feature on my phone and that I'm not being messed with by some hacker. Here's my story:

I'll start by saying my phone is a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, and it was updated as much as verizon allowed it to 4.2.2.

Yesterday my wife and I were having a conversation about the definition of the word "listen". Why we were having the conversation really isn't important, but what happened after has me very concerned. The next time my phone chimes to let me know I have an email, a male voice comes immediately after saying the word "listen". The first time I heard it I didn't know where it was coming from, but after the second chime I realized, IT'S COMING FROM MY PHONE!!!!

I couldn't find any sound on my phone that had this voice, and now I wish I had recorded it, but I was so freaked I just reacted. I wrote an email to myself/potential spies reading/listening in to "stop spying on me" then I reset my phone a couple times and the voice was still there with the chime. I reset my phone again and the voice is gone, but I'm too freaked out so I factory reset my phone.

So, do you think there was some hacker listening in on our conversation and thought it would be funny to somehow add that "listen" to my phone's chime, or by saying "listen" repeatedly within earshot of my phone did we somehow trigger some sort of feature on the phone?

I've never heard of this happening and can't find any google searches about it. The only app that was on my phone that seems remotely related to voice activation was google "talk back" which installed itself in an update at some point, but I never turned on. Could it be that?

Anyways, I hope you can shed some light on this because like I said, I'm freaking out.

Nate

Hello, so when you heard this sound, it came from an email notification?

 

[Nathan Yungkans]

Hello, so when you heard this sound, it came from an email notification?

My phone would make the normal email sound, which was a generic google hang outs ding, then a male voice saying "listen" in a calm voice. I looked into the settings of my mail and tested the notification sound again, there was nothing after it, but when an email came in it was ding, then say "listen" right after the ding. I really wish I had recorded it now.

 

[VDub2174]

My phone would make the normal email sound, which was a generic google hang outs ding, then a male voice saying "listen" in a calm voice. I looked into the settings of my mail and tested the notification sound again, there was nothing after it, but when an email came in it was ding, then say "listen" right after the ding. I really wish I had recorded it now.

Has it done it since the last time it said "listen" to you?

 

[wizzrah]

My phone would make the normal email sound, which was a generic google hang outs ding, then a male voice saying "listen" in a calm voice. I looked into the settings of my mail and tested the notification sound again, there was nothing after it, but when an email came in it was ding, then say "listen" right after the ding. I really wish I had recorded it now.

I'm not sure you could have recorded it since you didn't expect that to happen. What email client are you using?

 

[Nathan Yungkans]

Has it done it since the last time it said "listen" to you?

I freaked out and factory reset my phone.....

 

[VDub2174]

I freaked out and factory reset my phone.....

It hasn't done it since then (or since you posted here)?

As wizzrah asked, which email client were you using?

 

[Nathan Yungkans]

I'm not sure you could have recorded it since you didn't expect that to happen. What email client are you using?

the standard gmail client.

No way did I record that. It wasn't my voice and it was a very clean sound file. It started and stopped at the ends of the word and it was a very clear and intentional voice. Like reading a dictionary...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!

I'm so stupid...

I had looked up the definition of "listen" in my phone. I'm such an *****. Through some glitch it must have been playing the definition sound with every sound my phone made. I just went back and looked up the definition and hit the speaker to speak the word. That's the voice.... sigh... i'm such an *****.

 

[VDub2174]

Glad the problem was solved

 

[wizzrah]

the standard gmail client.

No way did I record that. It wasn't my voice and it was a very clean sound file. It started and stopped at the ends of the word and it was a very clear and intentional voice. Like reading a dictionary...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!!!

I'm so stupid...

I had looked up the definition of "listen" in my phone. I'm such an *****. Through some glitch it must have been playing the definition sound with every sound my phone made. I just went back and looked up the definition and hit the speaker to speak the word. That's the voice.... sigh... i'm such an *****.

It might have been the Google Now voice reading a definition? I guess that was it then.

 

[Nathan Yungkans]

thanks for responding guys... even though I feel like a complete fool now.... sad face

 

[VDub2174]

No worries

 

[Emerogork]

but you did treat us to a fun read.
Thanks....