5 ms·

The "always-on" microphone feature is used to listen for "Okay Google", if you have that enabled.

by qbit42 4y ago

kvirani 4y ago
I see. So you can still use these assistants without the privacy concern then. So why abandon?
- revolvingocelot 4y ago
  That's just one of several privacy concerns. It's possible to parse voice locally, as in TFA and eg Mycroft('s open source, self-hosted version, anyway), but for "some reason" mainstream assistants don't do it. Sure, you can hold a button, and Google will only hear about your timer request and nothing more, but some people find the idea of Google knowing when you're setting timers to be upsetting. Or at least worthy of avoiding.
  - vineyardmike 4y ago
    They do actually do on device processing now… Siri, G Assistant, Alexa, Bixby, Sonos all perform at least some locally. It seems the major issue is large dictionaries (eg music libraries) or complex queries. Most had an article about how basic features (times, smart home) work entirely on device. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22523438/apple-iphone-siri-on-device-processing-ios-15-wwdc-privacy https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22523438/apple-iphone-siri... [2] https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/07/google-assistant-response-speed-getting-improved-by-on-device-processing https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/07/google-assistant-... [3] https://www.amazon.science/blog/on-device-speech-processing-makes-alexa-faster-lower-bandwidth https://www.amazon.science/blog/on-device-speech-processing-... [4] https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-bixby-will-speed-up-responses-with-on-device-processing/ https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-bixby-will-speed-up-r... [5] https://www.engadget.com/sonos-voice-control-music-assistant-170028950.html https://www.engadget.com/sonos-voice-control-music-assistant...
    - mod 4y ago
      When my internet is out, Alexa won't even listen to me (besides her name)
      - GekkePrutser 4y ago
        Same with Siri (Homekit Mini). It won't even answer a question that doesn't need the internet like the time.
    - pseudalopex 4y ago
      Do any of them have a setting to enforce on device processing only?
      - vineyardmike 4y ago
        Sonos claims to be on device only. It’s not a general purpose assistant though
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- MikeTheGreat 4y ago
  Disclaimer: I don't have one of these and don't particularly want one. The privacy concerns kinda creep me out. That said, I've been to friends homes and seen them use it. As far as I can tell the primary use case for these things is to be <random place in your home> and then just say out loud "Alexa, set a timer for ....". I've heard that you can order stuff from Amazon also using your voice. I think a third use case starts with "Alexa, tell me a joke". I'm assuming that there's other things you can do with these (and would love to know, if anyone's willing to share). So - if the solution to the privacy concern is to walk over to the device and push a button then that seems to remove most of the usefulness of the device. Speaking as someone who doesn't want one / doesn't have one of these things I can totally see how eliminating the "voice control from anywhere" feature leads to opting out of it. (When I'm walking around my home I've always got my phone on me (which, to be fair, has a bunch of privacy concerns too) so I can more easily set a timer / buy something on Amazon / Google for jokes by fishing my phone out of my pocket and then using that, rather than walking over to push a button.) (The "what else can you do with these" is a genuine question - if people are comfortable sharing I'd love to hear what you can do with these)
  - hackcasual 4y ago
    There's a lot of little use cases. Hand free cooking stuff (set a timer, home many tablespoons in a pint). Device control, faster to turn off a TV with voice than dig for the remote, or play a playlist/skip songs. None of those really save that much more time than the old fashion way, so concerns about privacy mean things get done the old way. I know some people like having them in if they have frailty or mobility concerns, which is probably the only really new usecase.
    - Louistiti 4y ago
      Definitely. We can think of connecting such basic skills with more advanced skills too. The fact that Leon has a modular architecture makes it very flexible. We just need to let our imagination drives us.
  - mod 4y ago
    I have Alexa, although I'm going to remove her and replace with a locally-hosted thing. I've tied mine in with home automation stuff. So I can turn on and off lights using voice, even if I'm not at home. I sometimes forget to turn off my workshop and I can do that from anywhere. I'd like to figure up a way to reset my internet, because I access cameras, and it goes out sometimes. I'm very sure this can be done. I also use her for weather, although I'm annoyed about some of her limitations there, and I intend to get exactly what I want by coding. I want to be able to ask things like "when will it rain next", but Alexa can't do that. She can also do reminders in a week or whatever, I use that some. And I ask very simple questions that she can query Google for, but honestly she's terrible at it. I also think she's too verbose, even with verbosity turned down. She just goes on and on sometimes workout being asked--like instructions on resetting the routers if she can't contact Amazon. I also try Google assistant and Bixby. I use my watch for a lot of the things you said you use your phone for. Anyway I'm not happy with any of them. I plan to work a bunch on some skills as my next project, after the current one is done.
- bee_rider 4y ago
  If I have to hit a button to activate the voice assistant, that removes use-cases like "my hands are full but I want to turn on the smart lights" and "I'm cooking and want a timer, but my hands are too dirty." These are the use-cases where the tool really shines because it has no competition. Without such a use-case, the tool gets put in the back-of-mind. Sure it might be marginally easier to use than swiping and poking, but my mental model of using the phone is already swiping and poking.
Havoc 4y ago
The wake word is generally processed locally but anything subsequent is usually sent to cloud

The "always-on" microphone feature is used to listen for "Okay Google", if you have that enabled.

by qbit42 4y ago

The "always-on" microphone feature is used to listen for "Okay Google", if you have that enabled.

kvirani 4y ago

I see. So you can still use these assistants without the privacy concern then. So why abandon?

revolvingocelot 4y ago
That's just one of several privacy concerns. It's possible to parse voice locally, as in TFA and eg Mycroft('s open source, self-hosted version, anyway), but for "some reason" mainstream assistants don't do it. Sure, you can hold a button, and Google will only hear about your timer request and nothing more, but some people find the idea of Google knowing when you're setting timers to be upsetting. Or at least worthy of avoiding.
- vineyardmike 4y ago
  They do actually do on device processing now… Siri, G Assistant, Alexa, Bixby, Sonos all perform at least some locally. It seems the major issue is large dictionaries (eg music libraries) or complex queries. Most had an article about how basic features (times, smart home) work entirely on device. [1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22523438/apple-iphone-siri-on-device-processing-ios-15-wwdc-privacy https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/7/22523438/apple-iphone-siri... [2] https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/07/google-assistant-response-speed-getting-improved-by-on-device-processing https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/07/google-assistant-... [3] https://www.amazon.science/blog/on-device-speech-processing-makes-alexa-faster-lower-bandwidth https://www.amazon.science/blog/on-device-speech-processing-... [4] https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-bixby-will-speed-up-responses-with-on-device-processing/ https://www.xda-developers.com/samsung-bixby-will-speed-up-r... [5] https://www.engadget.com/sonos-voice-control-music-assistant-170028950.html https://www.engadget.com/sonos-voice-control-music-assistant...
  - mod 4y ago
    When my internet is out, Alexa won't even listen to me (besides her name)
    - GekkePrutser 4y ago
      Same with Siri (Homekit Mini). It won't even answer a question that doesn't need the internet like the time.
  - pseudalopex 4y ago
    Do any of them have a setting to enforce on device processing only?
    - vineyardmike 4y ago
      Sonos claims to be on device only. It’s not a general purpose assistant though
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
MikeTheGreat 4y ago
Disclaimer: I don't have one of these and don't particularly want one. The privacy concerns kinda creep me out. That said, I've been to friends homes and seen them use it. As far as I can tell the primary use case for these things is to be <random place in your home> and then just say out loud "Alexa, set a timer for ....". I've heard that you can order stuff from Amazon also using your voice. I think a third use case starts with "Alexa, tell me a joke". I'm assuming that there's other things you can do with these (and would love to know, if anyone's willing to share). So - if the solution to the privacy concern is to walk over to the device and push a button then that seems to remove most of the usefulness of the device. Speaking as someone who doesn't want one / doesn't have one of these things I can totally see how eliminating the "voice control from anywhere" feature leads to opting out of it. (When I'm walking around my home I've always got my phone on me (which, to be fair, has a bunch of privacy concerns too) so I can more easily set a timer / buy something on Amazon / Google for jokes by fishing my phone out of my pocket and then using that, rather than walking over to push a button.) (The "what else can you do with these" is a genuine question - if people are comfortable sharing I'd love to hear what you can do with these)
- hackcasual 4y ago
  There's a lot of little use cases. Hand free cooking stuff (set a timer, home many tablespoons in a pint). Device control, faster to turn off a TV with voice than dig for the remote, or play a playlist/skip songs. None of those really save that much more time than the old fashion way, so concerns about privacy mean things get done the old way. I know some people like having them in if they have frailty or mobility concerns, which is probably the only really new usecase.
  - Louistiti 4y ago
    Definitely. We can think of connecting such basic skills with more advanced skills too. The fact that Leon has a modular architecture makes it very flexible. We just need to let our imagination drives us.
- mod 4y ago
  I have Alexa, although I'm going to remove her and replace with a locally-hosted thing. I've tied mine in with home automation stuff. So I can turn on and off lights using voice, even if I'm not at home. I sometimes forget to turn off my workshop and I can do that from anywhere. I'd like to figure up a way to reset my internet, because I access cameras, and it goes out sometimes. I'm very sure this can be done. I also use her for weather, although I'm annoyed about some of her limitations there, and I intend to get exactly what I want by coding. I want to be able to ask things like "when will it rain next", but Alexa can't do that. She can also do reminders in a week or whatever, I use that some. And I ask very simple questions that she can query Google for, but honestly she's terrible at it. I also think she's too verbose, even with verbosity turned down. She just goes on and on sometimes workout being asked--like instructions on resetting the routers if she can't contact Amazon. I also try Google assistant and Bixby. I use my watch for a lot of the things you said you use your phone for. Anyway I'm not happy with any of them. I plan to work a bunch on some skills as my next project, after the current one is done.
bee_rider 4y ago
If I have to hit a button to activate the voice assistant, that removes use-cases like "my hands are full but I want to turn on the smart lights" and "I'm cooking and want a timer, but my hands are too dirty." These are the use-cases where the tool really shines because it has no competition. Without such a use-case, the tool gets put in the back-of-mind. Sure it might be marginally easier to use than swiping and poking, but my mental model of using the phone is already swiping and poking.

Havoc 4y ago

The wake word is generally processed locally but anything subsequent is usually sent to cloud