Chrome Beta for Android was recently updated with a slew of performance improvements and bug fixes, but it also brought one issue users across the web have been complaining about. The hotword detection feature in Google now seems to be broken for some Google Now and Google Experience Launcher users.
The hotword is the feature that allows you to do a Google Now search via Google Now when you say “OK Google”. This has become one of the coolest features in Android (and Chrome) and having it taken away is no small issue.
This issue can be easily idenitified: the microphone icon in the search bar should become hollow when the feature is not working properly. We weren’t sure before, but the issue does seem to be directly-related to this update. Users have reported that uninstalling Chrome Beta and rebooting the device will fix the issue.
You can go ahead and get rid of Chrome Beta for now, but let’s hope Google fixes this one first. After all, it’s one of the downsides of using Chrome Beta – you never know if something is going to go wrong. The test browser usually brings minor issues, but this one is kind of important. Will you be uninstalling Chrome Beta? I am.
[Chromium via Keith Mathews]
