Dual Hotword Support on the Horizon for Android with ‘Hey Gemini’ and ‘Hey Google’

New ‘Hey Gemini’ Hotword for Android

Google is exploring the possibility of introducing a new hotword, ‘Hey Gemini,’ to launch the Gemini Live feature on select Android devices. This development has been discovered in version 16.7.21 of the Google app beta, where strings in the application’s code suggest that ‘Hey Gemini’ will coexist alongside the existing ‘Hey Google’ hotword.

• Dual Hotwords: The setup screen indicates that ‘Hey Google’ will continue to be used for quick actions and voice-based information retrieval, while ‘Hey Gemini’ will allow users to engage in more detailed conversations with Gemini Live.
• Device Compatibility: The new ‘Hey Gemini’ hotword is only available on some mobile devices, likely newer models, possibly those running Gemini Live with Astra.
• Voice Match Requirement: Both hotwords require Voice Match to recognize the user’s voice accurately.
• Fallback Options: Users can still interact with Gemini without using the hotwords by relying on quick phrases like ‘stop’ or ‘snooze.’

This dual hotword setup is an interesting development that could provide users with a faster and more versatile way to access Google's AI features.