Fix: Google Assistant voice match not working

Although competing developers had some success in recent years, Google Assistant is still the most polished and useful digital assistant out there. This shouldn’t come as surprise since Google has so much data to work with. The classic trigger OK Google (or Hey, Google) is a great way to search for something or interact with your Android hands-free. However, some users shared their concerns recently, stating that the Google Assistant voice match is not working for them.

It seems that the trigger doesn’t work or that it can’t recognize the user’s voice. Since your notifications are locked up behind your voice match, users are not getting notifications and personal results for their inquiries.

If that’s what happened to you, check the steps below to learn how to fix it in a matter of minutes.

Table of contents:

1. Set the default Assistant app
2. Retrain the voice match
3. Clear cache and data from the Google app
4. Uninstall updates from the Google app
5. Leave the beta program for the Google app
6. Remove and add your Google account
7. Reset your device to factory settings

How do I fix the voice match on Google assistant?

Firstly, make sure that Google Assistant is the default voice assistant on your Android. After that, delete the old voice match and add a new one.

If that doesn’t help, troubleshoot the Google app or remove your Google Account from the device and add it again.

1. Set the default Assistant app

Even though Google is omnipresent on Android, Google Assistant is not always the default digital assistant. For example, Samsung invested a lot in Bixby in recent years while many other Android skins require you to set the default Assistant app on your own for privacy purposes. This, of course, doesn’t apply to Pixel and stock Android handsets where Google Assistant is used by default.

Here’s how to change the default Assistant on Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Select Default apps. On some Android skins, you need to expand all apps, tap on the 3-dot menu, and then select Default apps.
4. Open the Digital assistant app.
5. Make sure that Google is set as the default digital assistant app.

2. Retrain the voice match

If the voice match doesn’t work, you can always delete it and enroll your voice once again. The sheer magnitude of this service, with millions of daily users, means that issues will appear sooner or later. And, the simplest way to tackle voice match problems is by adding a new voice match.

Here’s how to retrain voice match on Google Assistant:

1. Summon Google Assistant.
2. Tap on the Snapshot button in the bottom left corner.
3. Tap on your profile icon at the top and open Hey Google & Voice Match.
4. In the This phone section, enable Hey Google.
5. Tap Voice model.
6. Tap Delete voice model.
7. Record a new voice model by following the on-screen instructions.

3. Clear cache and data from the Google app

Google Assistant is an integral part of the Google app. So, if there are any issues with this particular feature, the app that you should focus on is the Google app. The first step we recommend is clearing the local data from the Google app. This will require you to grant certain permissions and accept Google Assistant usage terms again, but won’t delete any of your data.

Here’s how to clear local data from the Google app:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Apps.
3. Select All apps (App manager or Manage apps).
4. Open Google.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Select Manage storage.
7. Tap Clear all data and confirm when prompted.

If the Google Assistant Voice match is still not working after you’ve cleared the data, try uninstalling updates from the Google app.

4. Uninstall updates from the Google app

The next thing you can try is uninstalling updates from the Google app. The app itself is sort of a main hub of Google features on an Android device. And due to frequent changes and weekly updates, it’s quite prone to bugs. Not to mention that it stores a lot of local data that, combined with updates, will eventually lead to data corruption and a plethora of minor or major problems.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from the Google app on Android:

1. Again navigate through Settings > Apps > All apps > Google.
2. Tap on the 3-dot menu at the top and then tap Uninstall updates.
3. Restart your device, open Play Store, and update Google Assistant.

5. Leave the beta program for the Google app

These frequent updates and many visible overhauls that Google introduced in recent years to Google Assistant pushed many aficionados toward the Beta program.

People just want to be the first to see what’s in store with new iterations and witness a lack of a general long-term plan with Assistant UI. And, although Beta releases have been quite stable over years, we still recommend leaving the program. The stable version is, as the title implies, more stable and you can expect fewer major issues to appear out of thin air.

Here’s how to leave the beta program for the Google app through the Play Store:

1. Open the Play Store and look for Google.
2. Expand the Google app and swipe down.
3. Under the Beta program section, tap Leave.
4. Wait a couple of minutes until your account is removed from the Beta program and update the Google app.

If the Google Assistant Voice match is still not working, try removing and adding again your Google Account.

6. Remove and add your Google account

Everything you do on your Android regarding Google services is associated with your account. Google stores a lot of your data and this includes all Assistant settings and usage history in the cloud. You can see everything Google stores in the cloud by navigating to Google Account Management.

So, if there’s an issue with a Google app that completely relies on a Google Account to function, you might as well remove the account, and add it again. After that, you’ll go again through the Assistant’s initial setup, and, hopefully, by the end, the problem will be fixed.

Here’s how to remove and add your Google Account again on Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Accounts. You need to open Manage accounts on some devices.
3. Select Google.
4. Remove the Google account.
5. Reboot your device and sign in again.
6. Skip restoring apps from the backup, configure Google Assistant, and try the voice trigger to see if it works or not.

7. Reset your device to factory settings

Finally, if none of the previous steps worked and you are absolutely in need of the voice trigger to access Google Assistant, we can only suggest resetting your device to factory settings.

This is a lengthy procedure, but not as tedious as it was a couple of years ago. Restoring your device shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. You can also report the problem to Google directly from the app Help menu or by navigating to the official support forum.

And, with that, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and don’t forget to tell us if any of these 7 solutions helped you fix the problem. Also, if you have any additional questions or suggestions, feel free to share them, as well. You can do that in the comments section below.