Android: Nova Launcher is our favourite Android launcher and it just got even better. The latest version of this alternative launcher lets you start a search by saying “OK Google”.
We’ve featured one tool that does this for rooted phones, but if you haven’t rooted, Nova Launcher now has it baked in. Grab the update if you already have Nova Launcher installed, or install it anew if necessary. Launch Nova Settings and tap the “OK, Google” option and then check the box labelled OK, Google Hotword. Tap Google Settings and ensure Google Now is set to On.
That’s all there is to it — though as we’ve noted before, you need to set your voice search language to US English if you want the OK Google option to work. Next time you want to perform a search, just utter those all-important words to your phone and Google Now will appear, ready to do your bidding.
It’s not something that guaranteed to work with every phone on the market — and you need to have your screen unlocked to use it — but we love Nova Launcher so much it’s worth giving it a try if you haven’t done so already.
Nova Launcher [Google Play Store]
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