8 Google Now Commands You Need In Your Life

In theory, voice commands are the kind of revolutionary technology that would have been unfathomable mere decades ago. In practice, there are still a few kinks to work out — namely, that it only works with certain phrases. For many Android users, the best bet is to memorize important "OK, Google" commands to avoid the kind of confusion that ends with being woken up at 4:11 a.m. because your wording was ever-so-slightly off. (Even if you go right back to sleep, any day that begins before the birds are awake is doomed to be a rough one.)

As useful as it may be, however, using the same commands over and over again is the kind of thing your technologically-challenged parents would do, and perhaps more importantly, it doesn't do justice to the capabilities of voice commands. Fortunately for people looking to make full use of the technology, a new website has popped up documenting virtually everything Google's voice assistant can do. Launched earlier this week, ok-google.io lists over 150 "OK, Google" commands, from personal questions — "What's my next appointment?" — to more general matters, like the command to take a selfie. Needless to say, the comprehensive list of voice commands has proven to be popular online; creator Kristijan Ristovski tweeted yesterday that the website saw more than 70,000 visitors in a single day.

You can check out the list of commands at ok-google.io, but if you don't have half an hour to spare for testing them out yourself, here are some of the most useful commands to keep in mind (plus an Easter egg or two, of course).

1. "Set A Repeating Alarm."

You're probably aware you can set a one-time alarm, but did you know you can set repeating ones as well? For instance, you can ask Google Now to "set a repeating alarm at 9:45 a.m. for Wednesday and Friday." (You can also ask it to tell you when your next alarm is scheduled.)

2. "Open App."

If you're as lazy as I am, opening apps beyond your homepage just isn't worth the effort sometimes. That's where the "open [app]" command comes in; it pulls up whatever app you're looking for without making you hunt for it.

3. "OK, Jarvis."

Google's vast collection of Easter eggs includes a decidedly nerdy trigger phrase: In addition to the standard "OK, Google," Google Now will also answer to "OK, Jarvis," presumably a reference to Tony Stark's computerized A.I. in the Iron Man comics and movies.

4. "Increase Brightness."

If your phone's automatic brightness adjustment is off, no amount of squinting will help you see what you're doing on your phone when you go outside. If you command your phone to increase the brightness, you can finally stop poking around blindly until you go back inside.

5. "What's The Tip For [Amount Of Bill]?"

Everyone hates having to do the math for tipping at the end of the meal, but you can pass it off to Google Now.

6. "Has [Flight Number] Landed?"

If you know a flight number, you can ask Google Now for all kinds of information: Whether it's landed, when it departs, or what the flight status is.

7. "What's The Loneliest Number?"

Although the video above applies to the web browser version of Google, the voice command will give you the same answer. Whomp, whomp.

8. "Go, Go, Gadget [App]."

After you get Jarvis — I mean, Google Now's — attention, you can continue the nerdiness: You can open an app by saying, "Go, go, gadget [app]." Just maybe wait till you're alone to test that one out.

Images: Giphy (4)