Like it more or less, the use of smart speakers continues to grow and therefore their options. This implies that it is also necessary to improve aspects such as security, especially if you are going to carry out actions that involve money transactions. That's why Google is testing Voice Match as a verification method for purchases and also for the use of Google Assistant shortcuts.
Voice Match will secure your purchases
Using a custom voice profile is nothing new, all current assistants offer it and allow you to recognize the user who is speaking to them. This is useful with regard to its activation and because of the improvement of being able to offer a more personalized experience, with results adapted to the history of each user and thus preventing them from mixing with those of other people who, within the same household, also use that same smart speaker.
However, the main use for these voice profiles will be related to security when carrying out actions such as buying online. That's why Google is testing the use of Voice Match as a security method. Thus, when you use one of your smart speakers or another screen or device that accesses Google Assistant in the future, you will be able to buy more safely, or not.
Because at the moment, which is why it is only a test for a limited group of users, they themselves warn that other users with a similar tone of voice could also authorize purchases. Hence, these purchases are also reduced to Google Play and some orders to restaurants.
For the rest, when will this function reach other users? There is no exact release date for the feature for any Assistant users. If you access the security options right now, you can see that they are the same that existed up to now. It may be activated with the presentation of Android 11, but that is already speculation.
The voice as a new trace
Since the launch of intelligent assistants it became clear that voice could become the new fingerprint. Seeing their progress and how they are integrated into homes, especially through the use of loudspeakers for the whole issue of home automation control or other uses, such as helping to study and even work, it is logical to think that it will end up happening.
Still, there are great challenges ahead. Because achieving such a precise and unique identification is not easy. Assistant has improved in its latest versions, but the percentage of cases in which other users with a similar voice could confuse the wizard. For this reason, other proposals such as Amazon resort and recommend activating the use of a PIN if you are going to make purchases from the speaker.
We will see what happens in the coming months, if that precision increases or if some kind of solution is achieved that effectively combines the fluidity offered by just using your voice with the security of other methods such as PIN, fingerprint or facial recognition.