Skip to main content

Fan-made website shows how powerful ‘OK Google’ really is

OK Google Data
Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock
If you have the Google app on your iOS or Android device, chances are you’ve tapped the little mic icon in the search bar to issue voice commands. On Android, you can trigger these commands just by saying “OK Google” from the home screen and — if your device supports it — when the screen is off as well.

But beyond the usual queries like “What’s the weather?” and “How old is President Obama?” it can be hard to keep track of exactly what kinds of things you can do just by saying “OK Google.” A developer under the name Kitze is trying to keep things simple with a new website, ok-google.io, which lists almost every voice command you can use.

Kitze, whose website is now No. 1 on Product Hunt, says he got annoyed whenever he saw posts that offered a “complete list of Google Now commands.” That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands and build a website that aims to be the one-stop reference site for every OK Google command. And it’s more than that — the website is fluid, animated, and aesthetically pleasing.

Of course, if you ask Google to show voice commands, it will, but it’s no where near as comprehensive as this. There are more than 150 commands, with more than 1,000 variations. The website has a list of categories on the left, and each are broken down in the main column. You can peruse through commands ranging from time, people and relationships, and weather, to ones that control your device, access your Gmail, and more.

What’s better is that more commands are on the way — in a future version, Kitze hopes to add in an easy way for anyone to contribute, support for multiple languages, and perhaps even a list of commands for Alexa, Siri, and Cortana. The project will also be open source soon.

The need and popularity of this kind of a list underlines the problem with current voice assistants — it’s an issue that many companies are tackling with artificial intelligence. Until we can have a completely two-way conversation with digital assistants, we’ll always have to keep a site like this bookmarked.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
I’ve used an iPhone for 14 years. The Pixel Fold made me want to stop
Google Pixel Fold in Obsidian open on Pixar Pier portrait mode.

When Steve Jobs took the stage on January 9, 2007, to unveil the original iPhone, everyone was amazed at the little piece of technology he held in his hand. Then in June 2007, people could buy and get their hands on the very first iPhone — and the scope of the cell phone industry changed forever.

I personally didn't get the original iPhone on launch day, believe it or not. Instead, I received it as a birthday present in 2008 (my very first Apple product), but my clumsy self eventually dropped it on cement four months later, and the screen shattered. But instead of getting it fixed, I figured I might as well just get the iPhone 3G since it was just a few weeks away from release.

Read more
Apple and Google are teaming up to make tracking devices less creepy
Apple AirTag lifestyle image.

Apple and Google are partnering to develop a new standard for Bluetooth tracking devices that seeks to stop malicious stalking and other abusive use of gadgets like the Apple AirTag. Essentially, this would be a universal, OS-level tracker detection and alert system that will work uniformly across Android and iOS. The two companies are inviting stakeholders to review the proposal and submit their feedback within the next three months.

Once the feedback period is over, all the involved parties will work together to finalize the technical standardization, with the hope of releasing a market-ready version by the end of the year. Following the release and adoption by makers of tracking devices, the tech will be generally made available via a software update for Android and iOS devices.
Better late than never

Read more
What is Google Assistant? Here’s the guide you need to get started
Using Google Assistant on the Google Pixel Watch.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is huge news right now, thanks to chatbots like ChatGPT -- but did you know you can already access an AI on your Android phone? Google Assistant is Google's AI-powered voice assistant, and it's available on Android, iOS, and a large number of smart devices (like Google's Nest speakers). While not as capable as ChatGPT (yet), Google Assistant can handle an impressive number of tasks — including pausing and resuming songs and videos, making tasks and reminders, and in some cases, even taking and screening phone calls for you.

That may seem like a lot, but Google Assistant is relatively simple to use. If you've never used a voice assistant before, we've got this guide to help you get to grips with it and take your first steps.
What is Google Assistant?

Read more