Two-part question about Hey/OK Google

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My most immediate question is -- why has the Google window stopped opening up when I say "Okay, Google." It used to come up, show me search results, offer my shopping list, etc. I would know it was active and paying attention when I said "Okay, Google," because that window would open.

Now, the window does not open. I hear no sounds, either. I can usually go on and say what I want (like to add something to my grocery list), and THEN I hear an "Okay, I've added ..." and so forth. So, apparently, the app is working. But it is not making itself known to me -- not visually, not audially. Even if I ask for a specific thing that ONLY would show up in a search window, the window no longer appears. The app will say, "Here are your results," or the equivalent. But no window. It used to open up, and now it doesn't. I can't think of any settings I've changed.

The second part of my question is, I read somewhere that you could train Google to pay attention to "Hey, Google," instead of "Okay, Google." I have never managed to get that to work. If there is no solution to this one, it's absolutely no biggie.

But I would really like to get that window back. Any ideas?
 
Welcome to Android Central! Which device do you have, and what version of Android is it running? Does it have Google Assistant?

To get it to recognize "Hey Google," you need to retrain the voice model in the Google app's settings. It should ask you to say "Ok Google" and "Hey Google" twice each. If it doesn't ask you to say "Hey Google," then you might have an older version that doesn't support "Hey Google."
 
Thanks. I thought I tried that but maybe not. There are a lot of Google apps, though. I always get lost among them. Can you be more specific?

Also, for whoever might be reading this, my most important question is the first part, about the Google search window now showing up anymore when I launch the app by saying OK Google (or Hey Google).
 
Sorry, it can be a little confusing -- I mean the Google app. That is to say, the Google Search app. Open your App Drawer and tap the app that has a big G as the icon and just says Google. Then tap Menu>Settings, and see if there's a Google Assistant heading.

It might be important to know if you have Google Assistant available, because if you do, "Ok/Hey Google" should bring up the Assistant, not the older Google Now page. (Of course, that still wouldn't explain why you're getting nothing at all on the screen when you say it, but it might be a clue.)
 
@B Diddy -- Thanks. :) I found the icon you directed me to, and the settings. I didn't see anything specific to the window not opening (as you guessed i might not), but while there, I retrained my voice, and now, suddenly, the window opens again. Kind of weird, since Google has been responding to my voice commands all along -- I just couldn't always tell right away for lack of a window or any audio response from the app when it first woke. Whatever the reason, thanks to following your path (and knowing the correct icon to follow!) to get to settings, the retraining of the voice seems to have gotten the window to come back from being on vacation. Odd thing is, though -- and I might just be remembering this incorrectly, I admit -- it seems the window used to open at half-screen height, and now it opens full-screen height. I don't mind, but it is curious (unless, again, I'm just remembering it wrong; maybe it was always full screen). BONUS: In the process of doing all this, I also found the setting where I can actually wake the phone; I had looked for something like that once and I guess I missed it. I was left thinking that the only way the phone could be "awakened" from a dead sleep was via Bixby, which I dislike and disabled almost as soon as I bought the phone. Not so! Now I can wake the phone, hands-free, which is a big boost to my productivity. Thanks for your help!!
 
Glad it worked! On my Pixel 2 XL, saying Ok Google from either screen off or the homescreen results in a fullscreen Google Assistant; however, squeezing the active edge gives a half screen. I also can't quite remember if it used to be half screen when starting from the homescreen or screen off ...
 

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