'Hey, Copilot' — The New Wake Word On Microsoft Windows
'Hey Copilot' is not on by default and you must enable the feature within Copilot's settings to use it.
After "Hey Siri", "Hey Google", and "Hey Alexa", there is a new wake word that you might soon have to start using: "Hey Copilot".
Microsoft is testing a feature for Copilot Voice that will allow users of Windows 11 to say "Hey Copilot" to initiate a chat with the AI companion. The update is being rolled out to Windows Insiders, a community who get to preview new Windows features.
According to a blog post by Microsoft, "Windows Insiders can now invoke Copilot with the phrase 'Hey, Copilot'."
Using this opt-in hands-free functionality, users may now quickly initiate a chat using Copilot Voice whenever the capability is activated and their computer is unlocked. Thereafter, the AI assistant can be asked questions or offer ideas on a range of subjects.
How To Get Started With 'Hey, Copilot'
'Hey Copilot' is not on by default, and you must enable the feature within Copilot's settings to use it. To configure, follow the below steps:
Open the Copilot app.
Tap your avatar in the bottom left corner.
Tap Settings.
Scroll down to Voice mode.
Toggle 'Listen for 'Hey, Copilot' to start a conversation" on or off.
Thereafter, you can begin asking questions starting with the wake word 'Hey, Copilot...' When Copilot is listening, the microphone will show up on your screen along with a chime.
You can press X to end a conversation or Copilot will end the conversation on its own after a few seconds of no response. A chime will sound to let you know that the discussion is over.
No Cloud Storage Of Data, Voice, Recordings
Microsoft said that even when the chatbot is enabled, users' data, voice or recordings are not sent to the cloud. Copilot only detects the on-device wake word and will only "send audio from when 'Hey Copilot' was detected to the cloud so it can be used to help answer the question you asked".
Language Support And Offline Use
As per Microsoft, the wake word is only trained and available in English. Insiders who have Windows set to English as their display language will be the first to use.
Like textual conversations, Copilot Voice answers necessitate internet access and cloud processing. When you’re offline, Copilot will try to connect but fail.
