Google is looking to super charge the voice command functionality on your Android device by integrating 3rd party apps with the usual “Ok Google” commands. Announced today on Google+, you can now launch applications with nothing else but your voice using the Google Search app.
Right now only a few select apps are available in Search, but many more are on the way. You can get started with Shazam by simply saying “Ok Google, Shazam this song,” to have it search for a song immediately. So it’s not so much just launching an app, but having it open and performing an action as well. For instance, speaking the command “Ok Google, open TuneIn in car mode,” will do just that. Pretty convenient if your hands are tied or your phone is just out of reach.
Google says you’ll need to have the latest version of the Google app — as well as the most up-to-date versions of these 3rd party apps installed on your device — to make sure everything is working properly. For a small list of some of the 88+ things you can do by voice with the Google app, check out their landing page here.