Google is adding a new feature to Google Home that fixes my biggest problem with the device

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Google is adding a new feature to Google Home that fixes my biggest problem with the device

Google Home Mini

Google/YouTube

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  • Google added a new feature to Google Home devices called Continued Conversation.
  • Continued Conversation allows you to ask your Google Home a few follow-up questions without having to say "Hey Google" or "OK Google" each time.
  • The feature is optional, and you'll have to manually turn it on in your Google Assistant app. Once you enable it, your Google Home will continue listening for eight seconds, then shut off if it doesn't hear you speak.

Starting today, my one major gripe with my Google Home device is getting fixed: You no longer need to keep saying "Hey Google" when you have multiple requests.

Google is rolling out a feature it calls Continued Conversation to Google Home devices set to US English.

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The new feature - which was announced on stage last month at Google I/O - allows you to ask your device a follow-up question without having to use the wake word each time.

If you ask your Google Home for today's weather report, for example, you don't have to say "Hey Google" again when you ask another question like, "What's the weather going to be like tomorrow?" That way, the conversation is more natural and will hopefully feel a bit less like talking to a computer.

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Continued Conversation is optional, and Google says it doesn't mean your Google Home will be listening to you all the time. After you activate the device once saying "Hey Google" or "OK Google," it will only say active for eight seconds, then shut off if it doesn't hear you speak again. The LEDs on your Google Home will stay lit for the entire time the assistant is active.

And if you're ever worried about what your Google Home overheard you saying, you can easily check your Google Assistant activity.

To turn on Continued Conversation, open your Google Assistant app and navigate to Settings > Preferences > Continued Conversation, then toggle it on.

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