Using Google Assistant with the phone locked

[Android Central Question]

All,

Just picked up my new panda Pixel 2 XL. Love the phone so far. Just trying to figure out how to use the google assistant when the phone was locked. It seems if I activate the phone either with "Hey Google" or using the active edge, I would ask what is the weather? It would ask me to unlock the phone first.
Is there a way to bypass this without me needing to unlock the phone?

 

[Mikejboss57]

Hi. I have a Pixel XL but never used the GA to unlock because my finger just slides so naturally into the print reader when I pick it up. But I have a Motorola running Android 7and had a tablet also running 7. I've asked the GA to unlock the tablet and it didn't hesitate. I just said, "Okay Google", wait for the recognition tone and then either "unlock phone" or "unlock screen" (I forget which).

I'd try it right now except I switched to Cortana a couple days ago for a change of pace (and this isn't the first time). That's on the phones. The tablet bit the dust last month - sort of. I dropped it with the face down onto ceramic tiles and it cracked up the screen so bad that it will only stay on for less than 10 seconds and it has no touch control any longer. I should probably just throw it out but that tablet has the best GA I've ever had. How do you throw something like that into the trash??

 

[Mikejboss57]

Me again... I sorry, I I may have misremembered. I Your question was bugging me because I recalled it being so easy. And just because Cortana is my default assistant doesn't mean the GA isn't there. So I did some experimenting and discovered that I am incapable of seeing the obvious.

I always use and have used Smartlock. When I said thank used the GA to "unlock" my phone, I was was doing it as a test but mainly just for fun. I was also doing it in a trusted environment. So really all I needed to do was just swipe up. No need for Pin or pattern or whatever you use. So when I asked the GA to unlock my phone this evening (I tried several different wordings), it responded, "I can't do that" I and would explain no further. I finally realized my mistake and asked it to "open the phone" after which I found myself on the home screen.

Just thought I'd clear that up in case you might have experienced the same without realizing. I did check the Google documentation though and it confirmed the functionality - provided you're using Smartlock with Trusted Voice.

 

[hallux]

Yes, as @Mikejboss57 indicated you need to use Trusted Voice. To set that up - on your homescreen swipe in from the left until you get your Google feed, tap the 3 dots in the top right corner and select settings, select voice, select voice match, enable the slider for unlock with voice match. That should prompt you to train it for your voice (for both "OK Google" and "Hey Google") and you'll be all set.

These directions are based on a Pixel 2 XL running Oreo 8.1, your device may differ.

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