Nest Hub Max gets Assistant ‘Quick phrases’ to skip ‘Hey Google’

Abner Li | Sep 6 2022 - 11:58 am PT

After first debuting on the Pixel 6 last October, Quick Phrases are now available on the Nest Hub Max to skip the “Hey Google” hotword when issuing commands and asking questions to Assistant.

We first reported and enabled this feature just over a year ago, and it was announced at I/O 2022 in May for this summer to help make Assistant interactions more natural. The feature lets you set pre-selected commands that don’t require the usual hotword beforehand as long as Voice Match is enabled to authenticate you and “Google Assistant’s first language [is set to] English (United States).”

Rolling out today (h/t Droid-Life), open Google Assistant settings (Google app, Home, or via voice) and scroll down to “Quick phrases” to set-up. It’s a new menu if you’re not using a Pixel, while first-party phones will see the addition of a tab called “Other devices.”

They are eight Quick Phrases split into four categories. Google says “common variations” are accepted:

Alarms

Set alarms: “Set an alarm for 7 AM”
Cancel alarms: “Cancel the alarm”

General info

Ask about the time: “What time is it?”
Ask about the weather: “What’s the weather?”

Lights

Turn lights on & off: “Turn the lights on”
Turn lights up & down: “Dim the lights”

Timers

Set timers: “Set a timer”
Cancel timers: “Cancel the timer”

You have to manually add each Quick Phrase that you want, while other people in your household can enroll and set-up from their accounts. Commands you have enabled appear under “Your quick phrases” and can be deleted at anytime.

Like with Look and Talk, Quick Phrases are only available on the Nest Hub Max, which just widely rolled out Fuchsia. Meanwhile, it comes as the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a are set to get a “silence” Quick Phrase for phone calls.