Can You Change the Google Home Wake Word?

Your choices for now are “Hey Google” or “OK Google”

By
Joshua Hawkins
Joshua Hawkins
Technology Reporter
  • Full Sail University
Josh Hawkins is a writer for Lifewire who loves writing about the latest tech and gadgets that help make people’s lives easier. As an avid gamer and VR enthusiast, he also enjoys diving deep into the technology that helps bring those kinds of experiences to life.
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Updated on May 25, 2021
Reviewed by
Michael Barton Heine Jr
Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr
    Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.
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    What to Know

    • Google does not offer any official way to change the wake word for Google Home devices.
    • There were unofficial apps that let you change your Google Assistant wake word, but most are no longer supported.
    • You can activate your Google Home using the wake word 'Ok Google' or 'Hey Google.'

    In this article, you’ll learn more about the Google Home wake word, including some handy variations to it and whether or not you can customize it to something else.

    How Do I Change the Responses from Google Home?

    While you can’t change the Google Home wake word, you can set custom responses for your Google Assistant. When activated, your Google Home device can start custom routines, which you can use to turn on lights, change the air conditioning temperature, and more depending on the other smart devices you have in your home. You can also change your Google Home voice if you want to switch things out from the default voice.

    To set custom responses, follow the steps below.

    1. Open the Google Home app on your smartphone and tap Routines to open the routines menu.

    2. Use your finger to select the Add Routine button, which looks like a multicolored plus sign in the bottom right.

    3. Tap Add Starter to choose how you want to activate the routine. You can activate it based on a voice command, a particular time of day, or even based on when the sun sets and rises.

    4. After setting the starter method, tap Add Action to set up the different things you want Google to complete when commanded to.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I change OK Google to something else? If you have multiple Google devices or get tired of saying OK Google all the time, you may find yourself wanting to change the wake word for your Google Home. Unfortunately, there’s no official way to change the Google Home wake word.

    Some third-party apps have popped up over the years that let you customize the wake word for your Google Assistant on your phone. Because it only affects the assistant on your phone, it won't change how your Google Home reacts at all.

    Most of these options are no longer supported by the developers as they appear to have moved onto other projects. Additionally, these methods require you to jump through several hoops using multiple applications to bypass the default wake word.

    Why can’t I change the Google Home wake word? Google hasn’t given any official reasoning behind why it won’t allow users to change the wake word for the Google Home other than to say that there hasn’t been enough of a push for it. It’s also possible that the company wants to keep the branding that many have become accustomed to since the introduction of Google Assistant.

    Despite not being able to change the wake word, there are a few variations you can make use of, including hey Google and Ok Google. Another fun command that Google Home users learned about is, hey, boo-boo.

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