If your Google Assistant won’t accept voice commands, try each of the following fixes, in order, until it starts working again. If it still doesn’t work after you’ve exhausted all of these fixes, then you may have to wait for Google to address the specific problem that you’re experiencing.
Make Sure Google Voice Has the Correct Permissions
Google Assistant needs permission to access a lot of different systems in your phone. For example, it needs to access the microphone, or it won’t be able to hear your voice commands at all. If Google Assistant voice commands don’t work on your phone, then the first thing you need to do is check the permissions. If you find that any of the permissions are disabled, enabling them will probably fix the problem. Google Assistant works through the Google app, so you need to make sure that the Google app has access to your microphone at a bare minimum if you want it to respond to your voice. If you want it to be able to do anything useful, then make sure to enable all of the permissions. Here’s how to access the permissions settings for your Google app:
Make Sure the ‘OK Google’ Command Is Enabled
Google Assistant can accept both vocal commands and text commands, so it comes with the option to turn voice commands off. If you want it to respond to voice commands, you have to make sure that the “OK Google” command is enabled in the settings for your Google app.
Retrain the Google Assistant Voice Model
In some cases, Google Assistant voice commands don’t work because Google Assistant just can’t understand you. It relies on something called a voice model, which is just a record of you saying “Okay, Google” and “Hey Google” a few times. If the voice model gets corrupted, or it was recorded in a loud area or by a previous owner of your phone, then retraining the model will usually fix your problem. Here’s how to retrain the Google Assistant voice model:
Delete the User Data and Cache From the Google App
Google Assistant voice commands rely on the Google app to work, so problems with the Google app can result in voice commands not working. In some cases, this type of problem can be rectified by clearing the Google app data and cache. If that doesn’t work, you may need to uninstall Google app updates and return the app to the state it was in when you originally got your phone. In the worst-case scenario, you’ll have to wait for Google to provide a fix. Here’s how to delete the user data and cache from your Google app, and how to uninstall updates if that option is available on your phone:
