[ptkelly]

I went out Tuesday while my once-a-week maid was cleaning. I came home to music playing from my Google Home Mini.

" The mini responds to your voice?"
"Yes, but it's hard to make him understand Spanish."

It's my fault my Mini is bilingual but it clearly isn't locked to my voice.

[ptkelly]

I was in Sam's Club and a smart speaker, not a Google brand, was playing music. I said, "Hey, Google," and it come on. I asked the temperature and it told me.

A week later I came home and my weekly maid was listening to music on my Google Home Mini. She said he responded to her but had trouble with Spanish.

[SpookDroid]

It's not meant to be selective, only if you set up specific users/profiles (like recognizing someone's voice and only providing relevant meeting information for that specific person). For everything else, it's supposed to respond to anyone with just the 'Hey Google' hotword.
I've tried Assistant in both English and Spanish and while recognition doesn't struggle, there are actions you still can't perform in other languages (like Spanish).

[Almeuit]

I went out Tuesday while my once-a-week maid was cleaning. I came home to music playing from my Google Home Mini.

" The mini responds to your voice?"
"Yes, but it's hard to make him understand Spanish."

It's my fault my Mini is bilingual but it clearly isn't locked to my voice.

I am curious ... Why did you think it was locked to your voice? Like where did you hear that was the case?

[Almeuit]

I was in Sam's Club and a smart speaker, not a Google brand, was playing music. I said, "Hey, Google," and it come on. I asked the temperature and it told me.

Yes .. that is how Google Homes work. What is the issue?

[ptkelly]

I am curious ... Why did you think it was locked to your voice? Like where did you hear that was the case?

When I set up Google Assistant on my phone it had me repeat "Hey, Google" a few times. When I sat up my Google Home Mini the setup got to the voice part and said it already had my voice.

If you'll recall, until recently saying "Hey, Google" could unlock your phone. That would not have been the case if anyone's voice would do it. That might be why it no longer does.

[Almeuit]

When I set up Google Assistant on my phone it had me repeat "Hey, Google" a few times. When I sat up my Google Home Mini the setup got to the voice part and said it already had my voice.

If you'll recall, until recently saying "Hey, Google" could unlock your phone. That would not have been the case if anyone's voice would do it. That might be why it no longer does.

You can't compare the GA on your phone to the one on the Mini. Previously when you set it up to unlock your phone that is what it was setup for -- your phone. As in your maid wouldn't have been able to unlock your phone.

The GA on the Mini works with anyone but you can setup personalization on it which will make it so they can't ask specifics about things like your calendar but if they issue a weather or music command that will work with anyone.

[SpookDroid]

Yup, voice match isn't supposed to lock your speaker to your voice, it's just supposed to lock some content (calendar, e-mail, etc.) to it as it recognizes you. But anyone can interact with the speaker by just saying 'Hey Google', albeit only being able to run basic commands and queries (as long as they don't include any personal data linked to a voice-matched profile). Always has been like that, and there's no indication that will change soon.