[GUIDE] [NO ROOT]: Activate FULL Google Assistant!

[DragonFire1024]

*****UPDATE APRIL 5, 2018 - This guide will activate the FULL Google Assistant!***** USE THIS GOOGLE APP AS OF DECEMBER 8 2018, https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/googl...oogle-app-8-33-6-21-arm-android-apk-download/
Many of you probably recall my last guide on getting 'ok Google' to work. Well Sort of: How to guide: Enable 'ok Google' to work from ANY screen. You may also recall it was a bit of work to get it working and the downside was the modifications didn't hold after a reboot, assuming the system didn't shut the service down first. So I put the project on hold until I could figure it out.

Well it's been 6 months and I am happy to report I have found a permanent solution which will activate the FULL Google Assistant on ANY non-rooted or rooted Amazon device. All we will do today is make a few small edits within the settings of FireOS. The modifications WILL survive reboots!

If you are using Alexa, you will Have to disable it and install the latest version of the Google App located at this link. Make sure to also have Google Play Services installed.

****WARNING: THE FOLLOWING APPLICATION IS VERY POWERFUL. MAKING THE WRONG EDITS CAN RESULT IN A POTENTIAL, UNRECOVERABLE BRICK. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE YOU DO TO YOUR DEVICES.****

1. You can download Settings Database Editor, install it and make the edits within that application (not recommended) or you can follow along with me and we'll use ADB. But if you do choose the application, you need to grant it the proper permission. Please plug your tablet into your PC and open an ADB window and type the following line below:

adb shell pm grant by4a.setedit22 android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

2. Open Settings Database Editor. You will see three choices at the top: system, secure and global. Please, ONLY select 'secure'.

3. Scroll all the way to the bottom and you will see:

voice_interaction_service
voice_recognition_service

4. Tap on voice_interaction_service. A window will pop up that says 'edit setting'. Delete any text currently in the window if there is any and type the text below into it with NO SPACES:

com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox/com.google.android.voiceinteraction.GsaVoiceInteractionService

OR use ADB:

adb shell settings put secure voice_interaction_service com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox/com.google.android.voiceinteraction.GsaVoiceInteractionService

5. Tap on voice_recognition_service. A window will pop up that says 'edit setting'. Delete any text currently in the window if there is any and type the text below into it with NO SPACES:

com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox/com.google.android.voicesearch.serviceapi.GoogleRecognitionService

OR use ADB:

adb shell settings put secure voice_recognition_service com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox/com.google.android.voicesearch.serviceapi.GoogleRecognitionService

6. Scroll all the way back to the top of Settings Database Editor. At the very top of the list, tap 'Add new setting'. For the first entry type:

assistant

and tap 'save changes.' Now type in in the second entry:

com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox/com.google.android.voiceinteraction.GsaVoiceInteractionService

and save changes.

7. In the list, locate the setting

alexa_enabled

and tap on it. Change the number from a 1 to 0 and save changes.

That's it. You should be done! Now reboot your tablet using ADB:

adb reboot

8. Now it's time to configure your Assistant. Open the Google App. > Tap three lines on bottom right corner > Settings > Voice > 'Ok Google Detection' > Set the preferences to your liking. You will have to train your voice model so make sure you do that first. When done, tap back twice. Make sure your search language is set to English and your search region is The United States. See the next step as to why.

9. Go here and download the Google Assistant APK, install it and open it. You will get a message saying your device isn't compatible with Assistant, but that's ok. Installing the APK will ensure your tablet receives the proper upgrades when Assistant is made available for 5.0 devices.

I hope everyone enjoys this! I am so excited to get this working

 

[wcarlson40]

Thanks, great job! I can confirm it works great on Fire HD 8 OS 5.6.0.1. I even think the microphone is more responsive with this method. Yes, Google Assistant is somewhat more limited on Lollipop, but it's still useful anyway.

I used the Settings Database Editor app. It's not "scary" if you follow the directions. It makes me wonder what more can be done to this little tablet to make it more "root-like" with Settings Database Editor and ADB.

Thanks!

 

[DragonFire1024]

Thanks, great job! I can confirm it works great on Fire HD 8 OS 5.6.0.1. I even think the microphone is more responsive with this method. Yes, Google Assistant is somewhat more limited on Lollipop, but it's still useful anyway.

I used the Settings Database Editor app. It's not "scary" if you follow the directions. It makes me wonder what more can be done to this little tablet to make it more "root-like" with Settings Database Editor and ADB.

Thanks!

I'll be making a thread sometime soon on the tweaks I've been able to come up with. For not having root, it's pretty impressive.

 

[kapilathi]

Awesome bro.

I'm using fire 8 in India, they have disabled Alexa based on location. If I change my Amazon account location to US, I get Alexa. But, changing back the location to India, disables Alexa again. Alexa option won't be visible in the settings menu.

Do you think, is there anything I can edit in settings app to get Alexa?

---------- Post added at 05:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:18 AM ----------

I'll be making a thread sometime soon on the tweaks I've been able to come up with. For not having root, it's pretty impressive.

Can't wait

 

[lakitu47]

I'll be making a thread sometime soon on the tweaks I've been able to come up with. For not having root, it's pretty impressive.

That would be awesome, as I couldn't find much other info at all about this app and its uses.
There also seems to be a whole bunch of AOSP settings hidden in the software you obviously can't use, such as mobile networks, GPS, and the LED notification light.
Tweaks I have done so far:

• Toggle either full or partial immersive mode in certain apps
• Remove lockscreen ads (doesn't work in 5.6)

Nothing else I tried yet I couldn't already do in the regular settings app.

 

[dondraper23]

I'll be making a thread sometime soon on the tweaks I've been able to come up with. For not having root, it's pretty impressive.

You never fail to impress

 

[autobulb]

This worked for me but some functionality is missing. If I say "Okay Google, set a timer for [x] minutes." It will just do a Google search for those words. It doesn't automatically open up the Clock app and start the timer. This is with the default Clock app disabled and the Google Clocl app installed.

 

[DragonFire1024]

This worked for me but some functionality is missing. If I say "Okay Google, set a timer for [x] minutes." It will just do a Google search for those words. It doesn't automatically open up the Clock app and start the timer. This is with the default Clock app disabled and the Google Clocl app installed.

In the past few weeks I learned that unless the app is actually uninstalled, the system still recognizes it as an app. THis will be as close to the assistant as we get, until it's rolled out to all of Lollipop devices. Also, without Gapps being part of /system/priv-app, a lot of the functionality won't be possible. However, I do see to recall the voice assistant working for the alarm, or basic system functions. It could be possible, that Google stopped that function to lollipop devices or it's just simply mucked by one, or Amazon patched it as well.

 

[xperia709]

Assistant now fully working

Been checking daily whether launching the assistant shortcut would work. Yesterday night it went from assistant not available on this device to Google assistant is not your chosen assistant. After following this guide and rebooting now I have full Google assistant with home control etc!

 

[DragonFire1024]

Been checking daily whether launching the assistant shortcut would work. Yesterday night it went from assistant not available on this device to Google assistant is not your chosen assistant. After following this guide and rebooting now I have full Google assistant with home control etc!

Does this include the full assistant you get in 6.0+?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs

 

[lakitu47]

I also just got the full Google Assistant yesterday afternoon. It appears to be the same as what's on 6.0+ tablets.

 

[DragonFire1024]

I also just got the full Google Assistant yesterday afternoon. It appears to be the same as what's on 6.0+ tablets.

This is great. It looks like they likely finally rolled it out to Lollipop devices. Let's hope it isn't another mistake!

Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

 

[xperia709]

Does this include the full assistant you get in 6.0+?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using XDA Labs

Yup, the full assistant experience. I have google's clock, play music, spotify installed, works with all of them just like on normal 6.0+

Bet they're enabling server side for all tablets now 5.1+ and above, even though the page still says 6.0+ on google's site. Wake word seems to work with screen on but not off. Still so much better than alexa. You also lose the long press home to activate, tried using a nav button app on xposed but that ended up breaking the framework and I almost couldn't use the tablet.

 

[DragonFire1024]

Yup, the full assistant experience. I have google's clock, play music, spotify installed, works with all of them just like on normal 6.0+

Bet they're enabling server side for all tablets now 5.1+ and above, even though the page still says 6.0+ on google's site. Wake word seems to work with screen on but not off. Still so much better than alexa. You also lose the long press home to activate, tried using a nav button app on xposed but that ended up breaking the framework and I almost couldn't use the tablet.

There are a few edits in the framework that fix that and allow for the home button to long press to the Installed assistant app. I forget where though. When I get home I'll look through my notes and find it once I set this up again. With root it's a fairly easy fix.

Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

 

[DragonFire1024]

Confirmed. Appears the FULL assistant is now available using my original methods. However it requires only the first 2 ADB commands to get everything working. This also works on Fire Launcher which makes this even more glorious.

 

[dondraper23]

I haven't had luck with this for the 8" HD as far as the full functionality goes. Now that Alexa works hands-free for it, I don't see it as a big deal but it works great for the 10", though

 

[DragonFire1024]

I haven't had luck with this for the 8" HD as far as the full functionality goes. Now that Alexa works hands-free for it, I don't see it as a big deal but it works great for the 10", though

Tested it in HD 8 and worked perfectly. Haven't tried it on my HD 10 yet.

Side note: I've tried this on other 5.1 devices, not from Amazon, and it doesn't work. So this is likely a fluke from and update to the Google app. The other suggestion would be to try the beta APK. I started on a fresh FireOS 5.4.0.0 and downloaded play services and Google beta APK. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. None the less, get it while you can if you can


Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

 

[dondraper23]

Tested it in HD 8 and worked perfectly. Haven't tried it on my HD 10 yet.

Side note: I've tried this on other 5.1 devices, not from Amazon, and it doesn't work. So this is likely a fluke from and update to the Google app. The other suggestion would be to try the beta APK. I started on a fresh FireOS 5.4.0.0 and downloaded play services and Google beta APK. Not sure if that makes a difference or not. None the less, get it while you can if you can


Sent from my Moto E4 using XDA Labs

I'm sure I just did something wrong then cuz all I was getting was a google search everytime I tried to get it to work with the 8HD. I'll give it another go on Sunday

 

[lovemesomeandroidyo]

keep getting this error at step 1... wish there was a bat or something I could download for this

C:\platform-tools>adb shell pm grant by4a.setedit22 android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
Bad argument: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Unknown package: by4a.setedit22

 

[lakitu47]

keep getting this error at step 1... wish there was a bat or something I could download for this

C:\platform-tools>adb shell pm grant by4a.setedit22 android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
Bad argument: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Unknown package: by4a.setedit22

To use ADB, you MUST have USB debugging enabled in developer options.
If you're using Windows, make sure you use Command Prompt (cmd.exe) instead of PowerShell.
Open a command prompt window in the location of the Platform Tools. Type in "ADB shell" first, then wait for it to connect. You may need to allow debugging from your computer on your tablet from a pop-up dialog. Then type in the rest of the command starting at "pm grant" after shell@[device codename].