I have avoided Google now for the previous two iterations of phone... but I'm giving it a shot on the S4!
There are two outstanding Google Now questions that I can't seem to find a clear answer to by Googling (there's a joke in there somewhere).
1) How do I actually trigger Google now? I've tried saying Google, that doesn't work. The best I've been able to do is map the double home button to launch voice input, but that's s poor solution. If I have to use button presses to trigger it, then I may as well just do whatever I was trying to do in the first place with my fingers. IE, it's no time time savings to double press the home button and then say a command, vs just clicking on the app icon I'm trying to launch (probably a time penalty in fact).
What am I missing? Why isn't my Google Now listening to me in the background? Am I just using the wrong trigger word?
2) The beep that follows voice recognition is incredibly loud, substantially louder than the speech response that Google feeds back. How do I disable the beep entirely? It's redundant and disruptive. The best solution online seems to be to mute notifications in general. That's a non starter.
You trigger it by starting the Google app and following the instructions. It's the google app, not the google+ app or the google settings app.
After that it just kind of runs. starts out slow at first but more cards appear over time, but you can pull it up anytime by running the google app.
acruxksa said:
You trigger it by starting the Google app and following the instructions. It's the google app, not the google+ app or the google settings app.
After that it just kind of runs. starts out slow at first but more cards appear over time, but you can pull it up anytime by running the google app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.... I realize how to run the app.... and how to follow its instructions
How do I trigger it, that's my question/query/frustration. As mentioned, it works fine if I double-tap the home button to launch the Google Now app manually. It also works fine if I go into my apps and find the Google Now icon, and then launch it that way, or if I use a shortcut, widget, etc to open up the app.
What I can't figure out, is how to actually trigger it during regular use. Short of going in and manually launching Google Now, I can't get it to trigger - I can't get it to listen to me. I've tried saying "Google", "Android, "Ok Android", "Ok Google", etc, and almost every other ridiculous phrase I can think of. Nothing triggers it short of manually launching the app by hand.
Once I set it up, it comes up every time I tap on the google search bar. However, normally I don't mess with it, it just automatically sends me notification cards when it thinks I need them.
For instance right now it's showing me a notification card for the last Sharks Kings game, my upcoming flight and several cards for things I've researched a lot lately like the S4, Voodoo Sound, Vsonic GR02 headphones, Fiio E07K etc. Also has my stocks and the local weather. I didn't "do" anything to get the cards, they just appear in my notification bar or whenever I tap the search bar.
acruxksa said:
Once I set it up, it comes up every time I tap on the google search bar. However, normally I don't mess with it, it just automatically sends me notification cards when it thinks I need them.
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Click to collapse
That's fine - once setup, it comes up every time I tap the Google search bar too. That's not my issue.
My problem is that I cannot get it to trigger by my voice. Unless I manually launch the app first each and every time I want it to do something, it does not respond to my voice. It responds to my voice just fine if I manually I launch the app first, but that's the only time I can get it to work. At all other times, I may as well be speaking to my shoe
Hold menu button for couple seconds.
Easy answer. You can't you have to launch it first.
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ripper4209 said:
Easy answer. You can't you have to launch it first.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
That can't be...? What use would a hands-free system be if you have to use your hands and navigate into an app before it will take hands-free voice commands?
Isn't the whole deal with this voice stuff that you can just talk to it?
In my experience, the hotword detection only works after you've manually triggered the app. It only relieves you from physically tapping the microphone icon.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium
get a bt headset and activate it that way..It can't be 100% hands free; it would have to be on all the time, and then you would complain about how much battery it was eating...
On my Google Now, saying "Google" does work. As long as the actual App has already been activated and is standing by that is.
On my "S Voice", saying, "Hi Galaxy" works, but it is customizable for other triggering phrases.
You are correct about Google Now only responding the first time though. If you want it to voice activate again you have to use the back key to get back to the original screen or completely re-launch it. It just seems that is the way it is.
Wow - this is significantly less impressive than I had envisioned. I was under the mistaken impression that Google Now (and Siri on the iPhone) just responded to their trigger words whenever uttered.
This strikes me as somewhat limited in usefulness until they get these apps to listen constantly. If I need to know the weather, why use my hands to launch Google Now, then ask for the weather, and then wait for it, if I could instead just use my hands to launch my weather app directly?
I must be missing all the excitement - or maybe Siri / Google Now are meant for people who can't figure out their phones?
On the issue of that annoying confirmation sound, I'm halfway there. The APK is in data/apps, and it's called "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox-1.apk". Inside that apk there is a folder called "res", and inside that there's another folder called "raw". In that folder you'll find the WAV files for each sound.
Unfortunately, that's where my efforts die. I can't seem to open the wav files on a PC (even in audio editing software). I can't just delete them either, or Google Now crashes. I similarly can't just replace them with less annoying wav files from my PC - that crashes Google Now also. I'll see what I can do about finding a way to just upon them for the purpose of lowering their volume (or blanking them) and report back with my results (if any).
rhd-android said:
Wow - this is significantly less impressive than I had envisioned. I was under the mistaken impression that Google Now (and Siri on the iPhone) just responded to their trigger words whenever uttered.
This strikes me as somewhat limited in usefulness until they get these apps to listen constantly. If I need to know the weather, why use my hands to launch Google Now, then ask for the weather, and then wait for it, if I could instead just use my hands to launch my weather app directly?
I must be missing all the excitement - or maybe Siri / Google Now are meant for people who can't figure out their phones?
On the issue of that annoying confirmation sound, I'm halfway there. The APK is in data/apps, and it's called "com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox-1.apk". Inside that apk there is a folder called "res", and inside that there's another folder called "raw". In that folder you'll find the WAV files for each sound.
Unfortunately, that's where my efforts die. I can't seem to open the wav files on a PC (even in audio editing software). I can't just delete them either, or Google Now crashes. I similarly can't just replace them with less annoying wav files from my PC - that crashes Google Now also. I'll see what I can do about finding a way to just upon them for the purpose of lowering their volume (or blanking them) and report back with my results (if any).
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Click to collapse
Don't you think some people DON'T want it on all the time? It could mistakenly trigger it and possibly do an unwanted action. It is fine in it's current implementation. I would think in the future as voice recognition and battery technology improves we might see an always on Google now or siri but right now it would/could cause more problems than create convenience.
Sent from my GT-N7100
A new version of Chrome (for desktop) is coming out that supposedly will do this, but it's just not feasible on a mobile device. At least not yet. Do you really want your phone's mic on 24/7 feeding audio to the processor, constantly running voice recognition on every sound it hears? Imagine how horrible the battery life would be. Not to mention the privacy concerns of that (and legal issues, I can see something like this breaking wiretap laws in several states).
Even Google Glass requires you to either touch it or activate it through a head motion so it starts listening. The same with Siri on iOS. The point is you only have to do one thing to start issuing a variety of commands. You can do it without looking at the phone.
rhd-android said:
Wow - this is significantly less impressive than I had envisioned. I was under the mistaken impression that Google Now (and Siri on the iPhone) just responded to their trigger words whenever uttered.
This strikes me as somewhat limited in usefulness until they get these apps to listen constantly. If I need to know the weather, why use my hands to launch Google Now, then ask for the weather, and then wait for it, if I could instead just use my hands to launch my weather app directly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned, think logically about what you are asking for. If your phone's microphone was always on, listening to and parsing every single noise it hears 24/7 to detect the word Google, think about what the battery implications. Every sound it hears it must analyze, all day long. Then, consider any time it thinks it hears Google, it will immediately turn on and listen for more input and then try to respond to that. It's just not feasible to expect this without killing your battery and also dealing with the many false positives that might constantly be making your phone do stuff you didn't intend.
Having said that, you are missing the key part of Google Now which sort of addresses your issues with it. Google Now doesn't listen 24/7 for you to speak to it, it analyzes data such as your search history, location, Google now settings, gmail, calendar, and so on, to proactively give you information before you even ask for it. That's the appeal and the main idea of Now. You still get the searching, the voice commands, etc, but you also get an "assistant" that doesn't need you to constantly tell it what you want. (In theory of course)
jsmith8858 said:
As mentioned, think logically about what you are asking for. If your phone's microphone was always on, listening to and parsing every single noise it hears 24/7 to detect the word Google, think about what the battery implications. Every sound it hears it must analyze, all day long. Then, consider any time it thinks it hears Google, it will immediately turn on and listen for more input and then try to respond to that. It's just not feasible to expect this without killing your battery and also dealing with the many false positives that might constantly be making your phone do stuff you didn't intend.
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Click to collapse
Yep - and that's where I thought the tech was at. I thought we had overcome these problems. I thought we were able to accomplish the above.
I played with it a bunch yesterday, and there was nothing that I could do faster with voice (given that I had to use hands to trigger the app first) than I could do with just hands alone. I tested a lot of common tasks, and launching the app + giving a voice command and waiting for the response action was always slower (not even factoring in voice errors - that's assuming 100% accuracy).
The ability to constantly listen is fundamental to voice commands being useful on a smartphone (in my mind). I just jumped the gun and thought we were there already (adverts certainly make it seem like we are). Until we hit that point, until we have a system that is responsive like KIT, or HAL, or LCARS, I think voice commands are impractical. It needs constant listening. Interestingly, it looks like the industry agrees:
http://www.technologyreview.com/new...d-respond-to-your-voice-even-when-its-asleep/
http://www.techradar.com/news/compu...mm-processor-will-always-be-listening-1132647
^ that tech largely addresses jsmith8858's concerns.
rhd-android said:
Yep - and that's where I thought the tech was at. I thought we had overcome these problems. I thought we were able to accomplish the above.
I played with it a bunch yesterday, and there was nothing that I could do faster with voice (given that I had to use hands to trigger the app first) than I could do with just hands alone. I tested a lot of common tasks, and launching the app + giving a voice command and waiting for the response action was always slower (not even factoring in voice errors - that's assuming 100% accuracy).
The ability to constantly listen is fundamental to voice commands being useful on a smartphone (in my mind). I just jumped the gun and thought we were there already (adverts certainly make it seem like we are). Until we hit that point, until we have a system that is responsive like KIT, or HAL, or LCARS, I think voice commands are impractical. It needs constant listening. Interestingly, it looks like the industry agrees:
http://www.technologyreview.com/new...d-respond-to-your-voice-even-when-its-asleep/
http://www.techradar.com/news/compu...mm-processor-will-always-be-listening-1132647
^ that tech largely addresses jsmith8858's concerns.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not there yet. It is still very handy when you're multitasking and the best example is driving. Sure I would love to not have to tap my phone a couple if times, but it is still worlds better than losing focus taking my phone out if dock, making those couple taps and typing out my message or commands. Not to mention keeping a CPU and microphone running at all times keeping your phone awake at the same time and it is just not viable. I don't think apple could pull it off either as it would just keep iOS running and running when the phone is not in use. Then there's the privacy factor. I don't think this will be viable for at least another couple of years.
Sent from my GT-N7100
Siri also doesn't respond by keyword launch. S-voice seems like the only one that does and it's definitely less than stellar. As jsmith8858 said above, it's a proactive assistant. Google Now is there for you to give you information it believes you might need before you ask for it. I.e. If i google a place on google maps on my desktop, When i look at google now on my phone a moment later, it has the pop up of directions and estimated time (that i can bring up in maps or navigation by tapping) of where it was when I just searched.
There are third party apps you can use with custom roms that you can bind double-tap home button to initiate voice search, or you can add voice search as a shortcut on your lock screen as well.
I was watching TV and someone on TV said Google, and it triggered the app so I'm pretty sure that there is a way to do it without using your hands, especially because of how many times they said there was a way during one of those recent Key notes regarding it
KILLplay said:
I was watching TV and someone on TV said Google, and it triggered the app so I'm pretty sure that there is a way to do it without using your hands, especially because of how many times they said there was a way during one of those recent Key notes regarding it
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Click to collapse
As far as I know, the only phone that triggers Google now by saying "Ok Google now" is the new moto X, but it has a processor dedicated to ear what you are saying.
I don't know if this ability cam be ported to our s4 and what will be the price to pay about battery consumption.
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With the Note3, and all that I have been reading, I was thinking the new phones have finally caught up. I hate to say it after spending the money, but the technology seems crude compared to the Touch Pro2. So far I've been quite disappointed.
1. With the Touch Pro2, I can hold down the button on the ear piece and say:
"Call Nicole at mobile"
it will come back with "Call Nicole at mobile?" and it will not be a robot voice. It will be as natural as a normal speech.
Then I answer either "Correct" or "Yes" and it makes the call.
I can also do this with the screen on, and pressing and holding the call button.
With the Galaxy, the screen must be off for it to work. I also have to turn it off or it keeps listening and getting confused. On my TP2 it's always on, but I need to push a button before sending it a command, not activate and deactivate it each time. This is a usability killer.
2. The S-Pen does no better job interpreting text than the TP2 does. Where the TP2 beats the stars out of the Note 3 is that with the TP2, it is simply another keyboard, just like Voice is, and it has little edit icons to fix things, again like voice. The writing area is where the keyboard would normally be, and it translates after the end of each sentence. Thus, any app you install that you can type in, can use it, such as in a Word document, with word wrap.
3. the Touch Pro2 can automatically record all of your conversations, and then ask you at the end if you want to save it. That saved me in a legal suite already where I could prove a $1300 error on a vendor's part. I've also used it countless time to forward conversations, which is far more effective and efficient than taking notes. I hope I can find an app for this that works as well.
4. I also use the TP2's voice recorder in meetings a lot in meetings. While I haven't tried one of them out yet, perhaps there is a Note 3 app that is just as good.
5. Full backups and restores were easy with the TP2, and it backed up via USB to your PC. You can clean it down to the nothing, and restore it completely, no rooting required because you always did have root.
6. With the TP2, you always have root, and you can custom flash to anything you want, and right back to factory if you want to. With the Note 3, everybody sweats warranty, no OTA updates, etc.
The problems with the TP2 is the hardware. Even overclocked it can be pretty slow at times, Microsoft turned of Bing turn-by-turn navigation for it, new apps are no longer written for it, no 4GL, and the list goes on. I like the flexibility that I'm used to from the TP2, but the iPhone app interfaces seem to be more natural and better thought out. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I didn't expect to be at this point after all of these years.
Any thoughts of what I may be missing would be appreciated.
1. If you havent, download and install google now and under settings check the box that allows you to use google now on any screen. Then you dont have to touch the phone just say "OK, Google" then your commamd such as call someone, I use it all the time especially when im driving.
2. Dont use this feature enough.
3. You can thank Verizon for this. The international variant has this feature, Verizon liking to have total control took this option away. There are 2 options though; most custom roms have that feature baked in call recording. And also there are apks out there that have been said to work really well such as AndroRec, automatically runs in the background (if you use this use mode 2 btw for best recording volume) and I believe tbis is a free apk.
4. Theres a stock android apk called voice recorder already installed on your phone. Look under your tools folder if you still have it completely stock, ive rearranged my apk draw so not sure where its at exactly but its there thats a basic apk thats preinstalled, and its simply called voice recorder.
5. You can do this to an extent using Titanium Backup, your Google account to back up apks and data, and even Verizon assistant. I just had to get a new phone 2 weeks ago and it took about 20 minutes on wifi for mt phone to auto download 95% of my old apks and sync all my contacts, email, photos, etc etc. No root required just signed into google services.
6. Dont blame the phone for lack of root. Thus is strictly an OEM/Carrier thing. As I said earlier Verizon goes in and changes things and request manufacturers to lock and block features out all the time. Every carrier does this, except for Apple every OEM listens. Including Google a la Galaxy Nexus. Its just carriers wanting the final say in a product just to hold it over the consumer as to say "It may be your phone, but we're still the boss". You cant hold this to the phone lacking.
The Note 3 and most android phones are great devices from the manufacturers. Sadly most phones are hampered by carrier needs and demands. Apple does make a great phone my wife switched from the GS3 to a 5s, and currently has a 6 plus, and I just ordered one myself for my business line. If you want a stock OS that isnt carrier modified with great support and updates thwn Apple is a great phone, you just cant modify/customize and even do as much with it as most Android phones. On ther flip side except for really Nexus devices, if you want a customizable phone with alot of tweaks and mods but for the most part be carrier locked down then go with Android. Its a rock and a hard plave thats for sure.
amebiasis said:
1. If you havent, download and install google now and under settings check the box that allows you to use google now on any screen. Then you dont have to touch the phone just say "OK, Google" then your commamd such as call someone, I use it all the time especially when im driving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It came on my phone. It's in the Google folder. However, I don't see a check box to allow using Google on any screen. When I turned S-Voice off, it takes over when I'm connected Bluetooth. It does not respond to "OK, Google" with the screen on or off. Perhaps there is a different one on play?
amebiasis said:
3. ...there are apks out there that have been said to work really well such as AndroRec
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is clearer than Automatic Call Recorder it seems, but it suffers from the same problem in that it doesn't record any calls that are made from a Bluetooth headset. (No doubt easily cured by root access)
amebiasis said:
4. Theres a stock android apk called voice recorder already installed on your phone. Look under your tools folder...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it works better than anything I've installed. Thank you.
amebiasis said:
5. You can do this to an extent using Titanium Backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That requires root
amebiasis said:
...your Google account to back up apks and data, and even Verizon assistant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wouldn't be legal for me. It must be local.
amebiasis said:
6. Dont blame the phone for lack of root. Thus is strictly an OEM/Carrier thing. As I said earlier Verizon goes in and changes things and request manufacturers to lock and block features out all the time. Every carrier does this, except for Apple every OEM listens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you get root with Apple? That would be interesting. Android is a Linux fork. IOS is a UNIX FreeBSD fork, and FreeBSD and Apple work together all the time. I moved all of our servers off Linux to FreeBSD, so the environment would probably be somewhat familiar.
amebiasis said:
...Apple does make a great phone my wife switched from the GS3 to a 5s, and currently has a 6 plus, and I just ordered one myself for my business line. If you want a stock OS that isnt carrier modified with great support and updates thwn Apple is a great phone, you just cant modify/customize and even do as much with it as most Android phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Being able to modify the looks is nice to have, but for me, Android+carriers doesn't give me the functionality I need and can get on a 2006 Touch Pro2. If I can get that functionality from an iPhone out of the box by adding a few apps, that makes sense. One other drawback that I heard though is the iPhones cannot walk and chew gum unless it is on a GSM carrier.
My needs are business needs:
1. A good local backup that I can restore the whole phone back to a previous point in time.
2. Local synchronization with Outlook desktop or exchange.
3. Automatically record both sides of telephone conversations, including when on Bluetooth.
4. Be able to initiate calls using my Bluetooth headset
5. Be able to use voice commands to initiate calls from the phone without the headset
6. Decent navigation
7. RDP so I can work on customer's and our servers.
8. VPN so I can work on customer's and our servers.
9. A good file manager like ES that can work over an SSH connection.
10. A good SSH terminal program like PuTTY.
My wants are:
1. Good speech to text. (I could care less about text to speech)
2. Good handwriting recognition in useful apps, like my TP2 has.
Thanks!
I installed "Google Now" from play, and it said it updated what was already on the phone. I haven't gotten the "OK, Google" to work, but when I press the microphone on the home screen and say "Call <somebody>", I get a popup that it wants all of my contacts. It even does that when I tell it the number to dial a number. Thus, needing them for voice purposes as indicated in the message is a deliberate lie. If I skip it, it does a web search on the phone number. I don't need to give them my contacts when I call via Bluetooth, and it works just fine. That indicates to me that Google doesn't need your contacts for voice purposes, it is selling your contacts to anyone who will pay. Those who would pay would only be unsavory characters.
https://9to5google.com/2017/02/02/google-smart-lock-trusted-voice-pixel-fix/
Smart Lock is one of Android’s most underrated features and makes security less of a hassle. However, a recent bug keeps automatically disabling the ‘Trusted voice’ option, thus making “Ok Google” slightly less convenient. Fortunately, a fix has now been identified and is rolling out soon.
Trusted voice allows the “Ok Google” hotword to act as a password to unlock your device. It works by seeing if the uttered phrase at the start of a command matches your previously trained voice model. This is particularly useful when asking Google to perform a voice command that has a visual element, like surfacing images or getting directions.
In the past few months, several users on multiple devices have reported that the Trusted voice toggle located in settings of the Google app keeps turning off automatically. Even after re-enabling, the toggle would later be disabled. As such, getting the result of a voice command would require that users first enter a password.
Fortunately, a Google employee in the Pixel User Community notes that “the team has identified a fix, and it will be implemented soon.”Anecdotally, I have found that with the latest Google app beta (version 6.12), the Trusted voice toggle always stays enabled.
In the mean time, the following workaround should work until the patch is rolled out:
Go to Google app -> setting -> Accounts & privacy -> Google activity controls -> Voice & Audio Activity -> make sure it’s set to “on”
Ensure this setting is “on” for all accounts on the device
biggiestuff said:
https://9to5google.com/2017/02/02/google-smart-lock-trusted-voice-pixel-fix/
Smart Lock is one of Android’s most underrated features and makes security less of a hassle. However, a recent bug keeps automatically disabling the ‘Trusted voice’ option, thus making “Ok Google” slightly less convenient. Fortunately, a fix has now been identified and is rolling out soon.
Trusted voice allows the “Ok Google” hotword to act as a password to unlock your device. It works by seeing if the uttered phrase at the start of a command matches your previously trained voice model. This is particularly useful when asking Google to perform a voice command that has a visual element, like surfacing images or getting directions.
In the past few months, several users on multiple devices have reported that the Trusted voice toggle located in settings of the Google app keeps turning off automatically. Even after re-enabling, the toggle would later be disabled. As such, getting the result of a voice command would require that users first enter a password.
Fortunately, a Google employee in the Pixel User Community notes that “the team has identified a fix, and it will be implemented soon.”Anecdotally, I have found that with the latest Google app beta (version 6.12), the Trusted voice toggle always stays enabled.
In the mean time, the following workaround should work until the patch is rolled out:
Go to Google app -> setting -> Accounts & privacy -> Google activity controls -> Voice & Audio Activity -> make sure it’s set to “on”
Ensure this setting is “on” for all accounts on the device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the most shameless self promotion of a crappy blog I've seen in awhile.
The whole article is about a miniscule bug about a feature that should NOT be used if you are interested in any sort of security. So claiming it makes security less of a hassle is idiotic when you can record the owner saying OK Google and unlock their phone.
:Facepalm: These forums are full of morons anymore
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
So I was wondering how many of you had gone through with implementing the buildprop change that enables Google AI. I decided to do it the other night and have been fiddling around with it since then. If you haven't done it, it basically turns Now-on-Tap into "Voice Search by default," but you can still do screen searches for things like USPS Tracking and Phone/Address Lookup. Voice searches are vastly improved; it will auto-start Navigation, fetch links as a list of cards (for example, miniaturized news feeds), open apps instantly (provided the phone isn't locked), and essentially just be all around snappier than Google Now/Now-on-Tap.
That said, it does bother me that the phone literally had to be rebranded as a Pixel to make this work. A) It's not the most stable change, and 2) that change is now reflected on any device/prompt that interacts with my phone. It managed to be picked up by adware on a sketchy site (don't ask what sketchy sites I go to), and my desktop also mislabels it on USB connection. Does anyone know if Motorola allows you to change the device name for USB connection? I know LG lets you.
But yeah, those are my thoughts on it. I might try it out for a week or two, and if I'm not exactly bowled over by it, I'll probably just go back to Now-on-Tap. But I wanted to hear your guys' thoughts.
I don't even use now-on-tap, and I've done the assistant bulildprop trick before, and it made little to no difference on how often I use both of them. I understand what you mean by having to rebrand it to a pixel though - Google shouldn't make this Pixel exclusive