Google Introduces 'Hey Gemini' Voice Command for Android XR Smart Glasses

Google, in collaboration with Samsung, just launched its new range of wearable devices branded as Intelligent Eyewear. The tech brands worked with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to come up with a variety of designs, as the glasses are meant to be worn by users every day. The glasses basically let the wearer ask and get answers about things around them, much like the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses. A report now claims that Google has finally introduced a new hotword to summon the Gemini Live AI assistant, but it's only available for its Android XR glasses currently.

Android XR Users Can Now Use “Hey Gemini” to Summon the AI Voice Assistant

According to 9to5Google, the search giant has reportedly introduced a new hotword to summon its Gemini Live AI assistant on its new range of Intelligent Eyewear glasses. The new wearables are powered by Google's Android XR software platform. And as it turns out, users can summon Google's Gemini Live AI assistant by just saying “Hey Gemini”.

On Android smartphones, both Google Search and Gemini Live can currently only be summoned using the “Hey Google” hotword. This has been the case for nearly a decade, which makes it a bit surprising why users of Android smartphones aren't allowed to use the same when summoning Gemini Live on their smartphones. Although it does make a bit of sense, nine out of ten times, Android smartphone users are possibly searching for something on the web using their voice, while Android XR users are basically discovering things around them, even though these queries will trigger Google web searches in the background.

The report also points out that Samsung eyewear and smartphone owners will be able to say “Hi Bixby” to summon and communicate with Samsung's AI voice assistant.

Google and Samsung launched their Warby Parker Intelligent Eyewear range with prices starting from $395 (roughly Rs. 37,000). The Gentle Monster range of Intelligent Eyewear is priced from $499 (about Rs. 42,000). The smart eyewear is currently available for pre-order in the US only, with the glasses going on sale on December 10.

Google and Samsung's Intelligent Eyewear glasses are powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR 1 Gen 1 chipset, support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4 for connectivity with supported smartphones. There are 2GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, and a front-facing 12-megapixel HDR camera on one side that can capture images and video. Also present are two open speakers and four microphones.