'OK Google' hotword detection from any screen now functioning on Samsung Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge

Multiple Samsung Galaxy S6/ Galaxy S6 Edge users who reported, via official Google forums that they could not make search queries by using the "OK Google" voice command, now have lots to cheer about as this issue has been officially addressed and fixed by engineers at Google.

Earlier, various Galaxy S6/S6 Edge users had reported that the "OK Google" hotword detection from any screen was not functioning for a significantly long period of time.

"My OK Google stopped working properly today. I went to check the settings and I am missing the options to have the voice command from any screen," states the forum post of a frustrated Galaxy S6 user.

However, in a new development, the above user now states that the "OK Google" voice command can be used as a search query from any screen.

Hence, users of Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are advised to check their smartphones and test whether the "OK Google" hotword detection works from any screen.

The reason cited by Google for the break in the above functionality, is "compatibility work" resorted to by behind-the-scenes technical minds.

However, users will be required to install the most recent version of Google Search, to get back the "OK Google" hotword detection from any screen, in the Samsung Galaxy S6/Galaxy S6 Edge.

According to an Android Police report, Galaxy S6/Galaxy S6 Edge users can manually get the "OK Google" hotword detection feature running by disabling, re-enabling and updating Google Play Services.

Users can then navigate to Settings > Voice > OK Google Detection, after which the "from any screen" option should make a comeback to Samsung Galaxy S6/Galaxy S6 Edge smartphones.

Full quote of what Google's community manager had to say after fixing the "OK Google" hotword detection issue:

"We sincerely thank you for your patience again as this was sorted out. The team was working on smoothing out some compatibility issues, and this missing feature was an unintended result of it. However, as mentioned in previous messages, the engineering team was made aware of this high-priority issue when users initially reported it and they have been diligently working on providing a solution since.

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.

Thank you again for your feedback and patience as we got to the bottom of this!"