OK Google Now and navigation

[Camilo]

I've used the command "OK Google Now navigate to... [address or establishment]" and it works pretty well.

Today I tried, just for fun to navigate home. In the Navigation app that came with the phone, I've got "home" and "work" designated. But when I try to get OK Google Now to navigate "home", it gives me a list of websites that somehow relate to that word, like Home Depot. It doesn't try to navigate me there, but does a web search.

Obviously, I don't need to navigate to my home, but when I'm traveling, I might want to designate, say, a friend's house by name while I'm there, then navigate back to it later that day. So it would be "OK Google NOw navigate to George's" or such.

How does this work? How does OK Google Now interact with the Navigation?

Thanks.

 

[Lucidlore]

As far as I know you can't just tell it to navigate to "Bob's house" and have the navigation app navigate you to your friend. You can, however, tell it to navigate home. Are you sure you set up your home address correctly in google maps ? When i tell the phone to navigate home, it works just fine.

 

[davidnc]

I've used the command "OK Google Now navigate to... [address or establishment]" and it works pretty well.

Today I tried, just for fun to navigate home. In the Navigation app that came with the phone, I've got "home" and "work" designated. But when I try to get OK Google Now to navigate "home", it gives me a list of websites that somehow relate to that word, like Home Depot. It doesn't try to navigate me there, but does a web search.

Obviously, I don't need to navigate to my home, but when I'm traveling, I might want to designate, say, a friend's house by name while I'm there, then navigate back to it later that day. So it would be "OK Google Now
' navigate to George's" or such.

How does this work? How does OK Google Now interact with the Navigation?

Thanks.

It should work to navigate to Home or work once those are set.
I can say > "Ok google Now> "Navigate to home", and it opens up in maps then switches to navigation with no other action required by me.The same applies to work ,juust switching out "home" for "work"
Examples:
I can also tell it to "Navigate to McDoanlds in Locust,N.C". for example and it will do that as well with no other action required by me.However if I said "Navigate to the closest McDonalds" it opens Maps to give me choices to pick which one.If there is more then one close by from whatever my location is.
When I have said "Ok Google Now" >"Navigate to the closest McDonalds" it will navigate there with no further action by me when there is only one McDonalds close by from whatever my location is.
As far as I know its not possible to Navigate to your Bobs house with just saying their name as you mentioned though.

 

[anon(847090)]

It should work to navigate to Home or work once those are set.
I can say > "Ok google Now> "Navigate to home", and it opens up in maps then switches to navigation with no other action required by me.The same applies to work ,juust switching out "home" for "work"
Examples:
I can also tell it to "Navigate to McDoanlds in Locust,N.C". for example and it will do that as well with no other action required by me.However if I said "Navigate to the closest McDonalds" it opens Maps to give me choices to pick which one.If there is more then one close by from whatever my location is.
When I have said "Ok Google Now" >"Navigate to the closest McDonalds" it will navigate there with no further action by me when there is only one McDonalds close by from whatever my location is.
As far as I know its not possible to Navigate to your Bobs house with just saying their name as you mentioned though.

+1 I just tried "Navigate to Home" and it opens the navigation apps

 

[shaytoon21]

It should work to navigate to Home or work once those are set.
I can say > "Ok google Now> "Navigate to home", and it opens up in maps then switches to navigation with no other action required by me.The same applies to work ,juust switching out "home" for "work".

+1. it works flawlessly

 

[sunburned]

Mine tried to show me the way to a Home Depot once, but every other time, it gives me directions to my house.

 

[nycdaddio1]

I had the same problem but you have to be very specific...."navigate home" doesnt work "navigate to home" works

 

[Camilo]

Thanks folks.

I just checked and I do have "home" set up in Google maps and Navigator (I guess I don't even know if those are two different databases, or just different interfaces for the same thing?.... regardless "home" is set up in both).

When I go into Google Maps I can find "home" and "work" listed. When I touch home,and then get to the point to tell it to "start navigation", it starts the voice directions to my home.

When I go into the "Navigation" app, the screens are slightly different, but the same "home" and "work" are listed. When I touch home and then get to the point to tell it to "start" (a different command than google maps which has a "start navigation" command after a different sequence of screens), it also starts voice navigation to my home - the screen, voice route, everything looks identical to when I go through the Google Maps routine.

So after checking that, I just tried the specific phrase "navigate to home" but it still did the same thing, no voice directions. FWIW, it does get me home if I tell it to navigate to (my address).

Perplexed... not really needed, and it does work very well for any given address and any unique business name (unless it needs clarification from me).

 

[Lucidlore]

Seems like something is funky with your touchless commands then. Google now is pretty liberal in what it will recognize to get directions home. Navigate home, navigate to home, directions home, show me how to drive home, all work for me.

 

[shaytoon21]

Seems like something is funky with your touchless commands then. Google now is pretty liberal in what it will recognize to get directions home. Navigate home, navigate to home, directions home, show me how to drive home, all work for me.

+1

Posted via Android Central App

 

[ressmad]

I've had to overcome this issue twice now. First when I activated my Moto X in August and again yesterday when I activated a Moto X Gen 2. For me the key both times was enabling Contact Recognition from Google Settings -> Accounts & Privacy.

From your list of apps, choose Google Settings.
-> Choose Accounts & privacy
-> Enable (check the box) contact recognition.

I also have Web History on which may also be important.

 

[shetach]

One thing that I've noticed:
when I say "navigate to x", it'll open a search of places/things x.
But when I say "drive to x" it opens maps and starts navigating.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[pdaniel219]

I actually got this to work by saying "take me home". I fully expected a Google search for Phil Collins or Eddie Money to come up, but it worked. I did not use the word navigate. Pretty strange I guess.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[An Pa]

Ok, I just switched to Nexus 6 and I have problems.

I used to actually on my Note 2 be able to say "Navigate to [insert name] and it would always do it. As long as I had an address saved under someone's name, it worked.

Now if I say someone's name, it does a google search. Anyone else have and lose this functionality? Any suggestions from anyone on what to do?

 

[garne2t]

Ok, I just switched to Nexus 6 and I have problems.

I used to actually on my Note 2 be able to say "Navigate to [insert name] and it would always do it. As long as I had an address saved under someone's name, it worked.

Now if I say someone's name, it does a google search. Anyone else have and lose this functionality? Any suggestions from anyone on what to do?

"Navigate to [insert contact name]" would surely be useful but it has never worked for me on my Samsung devices. Currently a Note 4. This seems like a no-brainer that Google should include.