Summary
- Google has teased the new hotword ” Hey Gemini” multiple times but hasn’t implemented it yet.
- Strings in the Google app beta hint at “Hey Gemini” finally happening, though potentially limited to select models.
- The change from “Hey Google” to “Hey Gemini” is anticipated, but it’s unclear if the new wake word will replace the current one, or coexist.
Post Gemini takeover, Google has shown signs that it wants to switch to a new, Gemini-related hotword. Looking at how long we’ve been saying Hey Google and how the company is rapidly replacing the old Google Assistant with Gemini AI, it only makes sense to make the hotword switch. While its intentions are quite clear now, it has yet to make the move. We’ve been teased by the new wake word multiple times, but haven’t been able to put it to use yet.
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Is ‘Hey Google’ on its way out?
In a report for Android Authority, debugging guru Shiv (or AssembleDebug) recently spotted a couple of strings in the latest beta version of the Google app that point towards the hotword actually becoming a reality. There are a few instances of “Hey” followed by a variable that looks like jibberish at the moment, but is actually an obscured upcoming hotword. Multiple past events make it clear that the hotword will most likely be Gemini (more on that in a bit).
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_item_message_1">“Hey Google” and “Hey %1$s” require Voice Match to recognize you</string>
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_item_message_2">Without “Hey Google” and “Hey %1$s,” you can still get help from Gemini</string>
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_item_message_3">Gemini may activate accidentally in different ways, like if there’s a noise that sounds like “Hey Google” or “Hey %1$s”</string>
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_item_message_4"><a href="https://www.androidpolice.com/googles-getting-ready-to-switch-to-new-hotword/%1$s">Learn more about</a> the differences between “Hey %2$s” and “Hey Google”</string>
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_item_title">Gemini will stand by to hear “Hey Google,” “Hey %1$s,” and quick phrases like “stop” or “snooze.” For now, “Hey %1$s” is only available on some mobile devices.</string>
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_subtitle">Turn on “Hey %1$s” to talk things out with Gemini Live and “Hey Google” for quick actions and info by voice</string>
<string name="assistant_suw_gemini_hotword_consent_screen_title">Go hands-free with “Hey %1$s”</string>
Hey Gemini, Bye Google
Google is being very mysterious about its wake word change. It hasn’t ever made an official statement about it; instead, it keeps dropping hints here and there. The first big hint was when it released the Android XR promo video and featured a person conversing with their assistant using the “Hey Gemini” prompt. But Android XR is developed for Google’s upcoming VR/AR projects, so we didn’t hold our breath about phones then.
Around a month later, the company dropped a phones-related hint, too. In the marketing material for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, spotted by a Brazilian publication, Tecnoblog, a sentence in Portugese roughly translated to English reads “Hey Google Gemini, list the places mentioned in this video and save a note.” It was only fair of us to assume the change might go live on the flagship phones. But that never happened.
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The APK teardown reveals that Google may finally be ready now, though the change might be reserved for a few fortunate models, as also apparent by the strings. The past hints make it clear what the new wake word will be, but we’re currently unsure about whether it will replace or join “Hey Google”. It would be nice if the latter was true, so the traditionalists among us aren’t too bothered.