Google has tweaked this feature in Android smartphones to safeguard them better

Technology giant Google is taking steps to enhance user privacy in Android smartphones. Have you ever noticed that when you say ‘Ok Google’ your device automatically unlocks? If you found this to be a little disturbing because the feature unlocked your device even when you didn’t want it to, you should be happy. The search giant has decided to get rid of the ability to unlock smartphones with Voice Match and the “Ok Google” command.

So, with an update that it will be rolling out soon, the technology company will fix this ‘problem’. This is being done to make Android smartphones more secure than what they are right now. Post the update, when you say ‘Ok Google’, the ‘Voice Match’ feature would only launch the Assistant interface on the lock screen. Unlike what happens presently, your Android smartphone would not be unlocked just on the basis of voice match.

We should also mention that Google has started rolling out the update already. The Moto Z and Pixel XL smartphones have already lost the ‘feature’ with Google app’s 9.27 update. The same change in functionality will be rolled out to the rest of the devices with Google app’s 9.31 update, according to a report in technology website Engadget.

Currently, on most Android devices, if you say ‘Ok Google’ followed by a question, the smartphone unlocks automatically. With the upcoming update, users will be able to get answers from Google Assistant while their smartphone is locked, but will have to use a biometric scan or password to unlock the device like they normally do.

We should mention that Google has not included the ‘Unlock with Voice Match’ feature in its latest flagship smartphones – Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. And on CES 2019, the company announced that it will be removing the feature from all Android devices. Seems like Google is keeping up with its promise, as this step would definitely safeguard everyone, as we all know that currently people with who have a voice that is familiar to ours’ can barge into our device just on the basis of a similar voice.