When Google, sorry, Motorola announced the Moto X, the smartphone maker lauded its software enhancements almost as much as some of the people who got to play with it did. Active Notifications were perhaps top of the list of new software features that caught our attention, but the Moto X’s touchless controls were probably a close second.
There is something undoubtedly cool about being able to invoke Google Now using the swift power of your voice, but what’s even cooler is being able to do it even while the phone is off, without having to ever lift a finger.
If you’re the owner of a non-Moto X Android device, then you’re probably a little green with envy when it comes to that little feature, but be envious no more.
XDA-Developers forum member RsenG2x has released Open Mic+, which effectively gives the Moto X magic to other Android phones. That means that Open Mic+ is always listening, and anyone uttering the words ‘OK Google’ will cause the app to launch Google Now. Simple, yet awesome.
Open Mic+ also ties in with Tasker for those wanting a little more automation to go along with their voice commands, and there’s even an offline mode so Open Mic+ won’t use your data when it’s doing its voice recognition.
The best part? All this is free. The app was on the Google Play Store before being removed by Google with no explanation as to the reason. Now you can download it directly from XDA-Developers, which is linked at the end of this post.
Of course, as with anything that is always listening to what we say there has to be a couple of concerns here. There is obviously going to be a battery hit due to having the phone’s mic constantly active, but some may be more concerned about this third-party app having access to everything we say, just because our phone is in earshot.
We’re a little more trusting though, but if you’re not comfortable with the idea of Open Mic+ listening in on you, then this app probably isn’t for you.
If you still want to give it a shot, simply download from the source link below.
(Source: XDA-Developers forum thread)
Make sure to check out our Android Apps gallery to explore more apps for your Android device.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.