Mobile Phones > Android How to Set Up ‘OK Google' on Any Device Get started with your voice assistant today! By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Facebook Twitter Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on May 4, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Step-by-Step: Set Up OK Google on Android Step-by-Step: Set Up OK Google on iOS Using Google Assistant on an iPhone Step-by-Step: Set Up OK Google on Apple Watch Many of Google's devices come with Google Assistant built-in and ready to go right out of the box. This is true for Google Home, for example. However, if you want the option to use OK Google on your smartphone or tablet, there are some extra steps involved. The Top 100+ Google Assistant and Google Home Commands Set Up OK Google on Android To see if your Android device is prepared to use Google Assistant, say, "Hey Google" or "OK Google," or press and hold the Home button. Select Turn On when you see the prompt. If that doesn't work, keep in mind what you need to use Google Assistant on your Android: Android 5.0 or higher Google app 6.13 or higher Google Play services 1.0 GB of memory Device set to one of the languages listed here (English, German, Spanish, and others) OK Google works when your device is locked, too, but only if your device has Android 8.0 or higher. Here's how to check those requirements, in order: Check your Android device for an update, and then update to the newest Android version if it's outdated. Update the Google app to the latest version. Check its current version by opening the Google app and going to More > Settings > About. Open Google Play services on Google Play, and select Install if you see it. Enable developer mode and then go to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer options > Memory to check that you have more than 1 GB of memory. Confirm that your phone or tablet is set to a language on the list mentioned above. To find the language settings, tap Settings > System > Languages & input > Languages. Set Up OK Google on iPhone or iPad iOS devices must have iOS 10 or higher and be set to a supported language. Unlike Android devices, Google Assistant isn't included on iPhone or iPad, so you have to download the mobile app. Download Google Assistant. Sign in with your Google account when asked. On the Google Partners page, select Continue. Tap Allow on the prompt about sending notifications. Decline if you don't want to get alerts from Google Assistant. Optionally, enroll to get updates from Google about new features, offers, and other things for Google Assistant, and then select Next. When asked about microphone access, select OK. This is required if you want to speak to Google Assistant. Using Google Assistant on an iPhone Using OK Google or Hey Google to talk with Google Assistant isn't as streamlined on iOS as Android. The Google Assistant app for iOS has to be open and active (in other words, it's the app on the screen that you see) for it to respond to your voice. However, you can use Siri to open Google Assistant if you want a somewhat hands-free experience by setting up the voice command "Hey Siri, Hey Google." With Google Assistant on your iPhone, you can ask a Google Home device to find your lost iPhone. Say, "Hey Google, find my phone," and your iPhone will emit a custom sound, even if it's in silent mode or on Do Not Disturb. Set Up OK Google on Apple Watch Your Apple Watch can respond to OK Google as well, and setup is easy. Tap the screen to wake up the watch if the display is dim. Swipe down from the top and select Settings (gear icon). Tap Personalization. Turn on "OK Google" detection. If Google Assistant doesn't respond to your voice, learn how to fix it. If you don't use the OK Google feature, you can turn it off. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit