Whether you’re on Team Good or Team Evil, it’s hard to argue that Google isn’t one of the smartest technology companies on the planet right now. It has an uncanny ability to find new and unique ways to ensure that its services are not just conveniences for users, but necessities that people can’t live without. Now, as if the word “Google” wasn’t deeply engrained enough in our daily lives, Google is working on tying its namesake to voice command technology as well. Android users can already trigger hands-free voice searches on many devices simply by uttering the words “OK Google,” and beginning immediately people can do the same on their desktop computers thanks to a new Chrome plugin released this week.
“Now you can talk to Google when you’re using Chrome. Hands-free. No typing,” Google wrote on the Chrome Web Store page for its new plugin, Google Voice Search Hotword. “Simply say ‘Ok Google’ and then ask your question.”
The new voice search plugin is a beta for the time being, but it works on Windows computers as well as Macs. Once the extension is installed, users can simply visit google.com from their computers and speak the words “OK Google,” followed by a search phrase. We have tested the extension and it worked perfectly each time we tried it.
The Google Voice Search Hotword plugin is available for free and it can be downloaded from Google’s Chrome Web Store, which is linked below in our source section.