Jealous of your friend’s Moto X because it has Touchless Control? Samsung Galaxy S4 (or any phone running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above) users can now enjoy the same experience on their phone with Open Mic+ for Google Now app. The app triggers Google Now by just saying the phrase “OK Google” and ready to accept all your commands at any time without even waking up the device.
For your information, Touchless Control is a unique feature of Moto X that lets you control your phone using the hands free launch phrase, i.e. “OK Google Now”, followed by a command. See a list of useful Google Now commands here. Open Mic+ brings similar feature to any other Android phone.
The Open Mic+ for Google Now runs on the background and can be activated by just saying the phrase “Okay Google” (you can change it from its settings), then you can ask Google Now questions or to perform an action. You can configure the app to start at boot, so you don’t need to run the app after booting up the device.
Also, as it uses offline voice recognition it saves your data plan as well as act quickly. Besides that, the app also works well with the Tasker so you can call out the custom tasks via your voice.
How to use Open Mic+ for Google Now?
1. Install the app from Play Store and run it.
2. Tap the green Start button to turn on the Touchless controls. Now your phone is ready to accept your command.
3. Now, exit the app and returned to home screen. Just say the phrase “Okay Google” when you want to launch Google Now and ask a question.
4. To turn off the Touchless Control, run Open Mic+ and tap the red Stop button.
Note: From app’s settings, you can configure Open Mic+ to start at boot and change the hands free launch phrase “Ok Google” to your desired one.
Please remember that, as the app runs in the background, it will drain your battery quickly. Moto X has two low power co-processors to support its Touchless Control to overcome the battery drain. Also, it may not work exactly as Moto X’s Touchless Control, but it sure does come close.
You can download Open Mic+ for Google Now from Play Store (source)
