For whatever exact reason, “Ok Google” hotword detection from any screen on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge has been broken for the past couple of months. But according to one Google community manager, the issue has been fixed, and Galaxy S6 users can go back to saying “Ok Google” from whatever app they may be in.
It is reported that the cause of the issue stems from Samsung’s own voice-reliant S Voice software. Once the fix rolls out to your device, it appears some S-Voice functionality will be limited, but if you had to choose between Google and Samsung’s assistant, we would recommend Google.
Here is the statement from Google’s community manager.
Now, we are happy to share that the “From any screen” function has been fixed for S6 and S6 Edge devices on the Google Search App (GSA), and the fix is actively rolling out to users. To ensure that this feature becomes available to you soon, please ensure that you are running the most up-to-date version of GSA (4.5+). Please note that “Ok Google” from any screen will be available, however remaining compatibility issues mean that turning on the feature will limit the availability of S-voice hotwording to only when the screen is off. Users who prefer to avoid this can turn off “Ok Google” from any screen.
Happy searching, Galaxy S6 owners.
Via: Google Product Forums