Microsoft tests 'Hey Copilot' voice activation in Windows
Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft is experimenting with a new voice activation feature for its Copilot assistant on Windows 11, allowing users to initiate conversations simply by saying “Hey Copilot!”
The feature is currently available to Windows Insiders who have the latest version of the app and choose to opt in and enable it, News.Az reports, citing The Verge.
Similar commands have been available for years with Siri, Google, Alexa, and even Microsoft’s now-departed Cortana assistant that Copilot has replaced. But it is a new addition for Copilot, if a dedicated key or combination of keys wasn’t making it easy enough to get into the app, and arrives following the launch of a more conversational Copilot Voice experience.
According to a blog post, you’ll need to enable the feature for it to be able to respond to the wake word. Also, the update isn’t available to all Insiders right away, but it is rolling out to testers worldwide who have English set as their display language. To find out if you have it, check your Copilot app version to see if it’s 1.25051.10.0 or higher.
Once it’s activated, you’ll see the Copilot microphone floating UI on the bottom of your screen and get a chime notification that shows it’s listening in.
The FAQ also says that it’s using an on-device wake word spotter with a 10-second audio buffer, and isn’t sending clips to the cloud or saving them locally. It can recognize the wake word even if you’re offline, but for the Copilot Voice feature to actually do anything, you will need internet access so that it can access cloud processing capabilities.
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