At Google I / O in May, Google announced a feature called “Look and Talk” for the Nest Hub Max. The idea behind it was to allow users to interact with their Nest Hub without having to say “OK, Google” and instead just to view the device within a certain range. Now after enabling it in my kitchen unit, I can say without a doubt that this feature is great.
A full-fledged Nest cam has been created on the Nest Hub Max, so Google is using this particular device to start the life of this “look and talk” concept. Thanks to Google Assistant on Nest Hub, Face Match is training to recognize your face, so that Nest Cam can notice that you are nearby and start listening if you have any orders.
I launched the feature earlier in the week when Google announced that it was launching widely and I have used it many times. My kitchen unit is probably the most suitable for this, as I can just lean from one corner of my small kitchen space to the other and fire the assistant. Simple tasks like setting a timer, managing multiple timers, asking for a recipe, adjusting my home temperature, looking at my front door camera, or calling my wife to the Duo, I can now do with and without the most dirty hands To shout that damn keyword.
It may sound like a simple solution that doesn’t deserve this kind of praise, but man, I’m one of those people who absolutely hates to say “Hey, Google.” For example, if I had to say that keyword in order to do something, I would almost always reach for my phone and either swipe from one corner to dismiss the assistant or I would do it manually from an app. I don’t know what it is, but that keyword is the worst. This eliminates my need for it, also it actually saves time in the kitchen when a matter of seconds can take you from cooking to burning completely.
If you own Nest Hub Max and want to try it out, it’s really easy to set up.
- First, you need to make sure that the face match is set-up. Open the Google Home app on your phone and tap the Settings button, then tap “Google Assistant” in the Properties section and then select “Face Match”. The steps to setup there mostly ask you to scan your face a few times from side to side.
- Once you set up Face Match, you can turn Face Match on or off from the page you set up. You will see a toggle for “Look and Talk” there. Toggling it gives you the ability I described above.
- Note: If you have a problem and it doesn’t seem to be working, it has been fixed by retraining my face.
Once set-up, whenever you come within 5-10 feet of your Nest Hub Max, you’ll see 4 black (or white) dots on top of your display when it recognizes you and waits for an order. If you close a command, you’ll see familiar auxiliary-colored dots and respond. It’s magical, I’m telling you.
Of course, for the privacy-centric people around you, it may seem like your Nest Hub Max is constantly spying on you. I don’t know what to tell you there. I’m not here to change your mind about what Google sees or doesn’t see – I’m telling you that this feature works great for me when I’m doing it in the kitchen.
For more help setting up Look & Talk, hit this Google support page