HomeWindows Tests Hey Copilot! Voice Activation from Microsoft
Microsoft is trialing a new "Hey Copilot!" voice activation feature for its Copilot Voice app on Windows 11. Insiders who receive the update can enable the setting to start conversations with the assistant using this wake phrase.
Wake commands have been a standard feature for assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Microsoft's own retired Cortana for years. This new hands-free option provides another way to launch Copilot, building on the recently introduced, more conversational Copilot Voice experience beyond dedicated keyboard shortcuts.
Related
- Microsoft equips Copilot with popular features from other AI assistants
- Microsoft's major Copilot redesign introduces voice and vision capabilities
As detailed in a blog post, users must enable the feature for it to respond to the wake word. The rollout is currently limited to Windows Insiders with English set as their display language, and it is not immediately available to all testers. You can check if you have the update by verifying your Copilot app version is 1.25051.10.0 or newer.
Image: MicrosoftOnce enabled, a floating Copilot microphone icon will appear at the bottom of the screen, accompanied by an audible chime to indicate it's actively listening.
The FAQ clarifies that an on-device wake word detector with a 10-second audio buffer is used. Audio is not sent to the cloud or stored locally. While the wake word can be recognized offline, an internet connection is required for the full Copilot Voice functionality, as it relies on cloud processing.
Related article
Kakao Mobility outlines Level 4 autonomous driving roadmap for physical AI
Kakao Mobility is planning to develop Level 4 autonomous driving technologies internally as part of its physical AI strategy.
At the 2026 World IT Show conference in Seoul's COEX, Kim Jin-kyu — vice president and head of Kakao Mobility's Physical AI
Barry Diller: Trust in Sam Altman irrelevant as AGI nears
Barry Diller, the billionaire media titan, does not believe OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is untrustworthy, despite recent reports suggesting otherwise. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's "Future of Everything" conference this week, Diller defended Altman
YouTube expands AI deepfake detection to politicians, government officials, and journalists
On Tuesday, YouTube announced it is expanding its deepfake detection technology to a select group of government officials, political candidates, and journalists. The tool identifies AI-generated likenesses and lets pilot participants request the remo
Related Special Topic Recommendations
Productivity
AI Personal Wellness & Focus Coaches: Manage Burnout & Boost Mental Energy Levels
Discover the 2026 best AI personal wellness and focus coaches on XIX.AI. Our curated rankings feature top-rated, game-changing tools to manage burnout and boost mental energy. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your path to peak productivity and well-being today.
10 tools
xix.ai
chatbot
Top-Rated AI Romantic Chatbots: Build Long-Term Relationships with Consistent Personalities
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI romantic chatbots for building genuine, long-term connections. Our curated list features powerful, consistent personalities, free vs paid comparisons, and real-world tests. Find your perfect companion and start building today at XIX.AI.
10 tools
xix.ai
Education and Learning
Best AI Data Science Mentors: Master SQL, Pandas & Machine Learning Workflows
Discover the 2026 best AI data science mentors to master SQL, Pandas & ML workflows. Explore our top-rated, curated selection at XIX.AI for powerful, game-changing guidance. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your data science mastery today.
10 tools
xix.ai
chatbot
Best AI Flirting & Conversation Trainers: Improve Social Charisma and Confidence in Real-Time
Discover the 2026 best AI flirting and conversation trainers on XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you build social charisma and confidence in real-time. Explore must-try, game-changing tools with free vs paid comparisons and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your social edge today.
10 tools
xix.ai
code
Best AI Tools for Automated Unit Testing: Generate Jest, PyTest & JUnit Test Cases in One Click
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI tools for automated unit testing. Our curated selection features powerful, game-changing solutions to generate Jest, PyTest & JUnit test cases instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings on XIX.AI. Unlock your AI edge and boost development productivity today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Data Analysis
Best AI Data Visualization Tools: Auto-Generate Interactive BI Dashboards from Raw Files
Discover the 2026 best AI data visualization tools at XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you auto-generate powerful, interactive BI dashboards from raw files instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your data's potential today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Comments (2)
0/500
![DennisGarcia]()
Interesting move, but I'm a bit concerned about privacy. Always listening features can be tricky. Hope Microsoft has strong safeguards in place for this one. 🤔
![WilliamGonzalez]()
Hmm, the 'Hey Copilot!' feature sounds super convenient for hands-free use 🤔. But it also makes me wonder if my laptop will accidentally wake up in a noisy office full of voices and start responding to random conversations... Hope they fine-tune the sensitivity well! Privacy is another thing—always on standby listening... a bit unsettling, frankly.
Microsoft is trialing a new "Hey Copilot!" voice activation feature for its Copilot Voice app on Windows 11. Insiders who receive the update can enable the setting to start conversations with the assistant using this wake phrase.
Wake commands have been a standard feature for assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Microsoft's own retired Cortana for years. This new hands-free option provides another way to launch Copilot, building on the recently introduced, more conversational Copilot Voice experience beyond dedicated keyboard shortcuts.
Related
- Microsoft equips Copilot with popular features from other AI assistants
- Microsoft's major Copilot redesign introduces voice and vision capabilities
As detailed in a blog post, users must enable the feature for it to respond to the wake word. The rollout is currently limited to Windows Insiders with English set as their display language, and it is not immediately available to all testers. You can check if you have the update by verifying your Copilot app version is 1.25051.10.0 or newer.
Image: MicrosoftOnce enabled, a floating Copilot microphone icon will appear at the bottom of the screen, accompanied by an audible chime to indicate it's actively listening.
The FAQ clarifies that an on-device wake word detector with a 10-second audio buffer is used. Audio is not sent to the cloud or stored locally. While the wake word can be recognized offline, an internet connection is required for the full Copilot Voice functionality, as it relies on cloud processing.
Kakao Mobility outlines Level 4 autonomous driving roadmap for physical AI
Kakao Mobility is planning to develop Level 4 autonomous driving technologies internally as part of its physical AI strategy.
At the 2026 World IT Show conference in Seoul's COEX, Kim Jin-kyu — vice president and head of Kakao Mobility's Physical AI
Barry Diller: Trust in Sam Altman irrelevant as AGI nears
Barry Diller, the billionaire media titan, does not believe OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is untrustworthy, despite recent reports suggesting otherwise. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's "Future of Everything" conference this week, Diller defended Altman
YouTube expands AI deepfake detection to politicians, government officials, and journalists
On Tuesday, YouTube announced it is expanding its deepfake detection technology to a select group of government officials, political candidates, and journalists. The tool identifies AI-generated likenesses and lets pilot participants request the remo
Discover the 2026 best AI personal wellness and focus coaches on XIX.AI. Our curated rankings feature top-rated, game-changing tools to manage burnout and boost mental energy. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your path to peak productivity and well-being today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI romantic chatbots for building genuine, long-term connections. Our curated list features powerful, consistent personalities, free vs paid comparisons, and real-world tests. Find your perfect companion and start building today at XIX.AI.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI data science mentors to master SQL, Pandas & ML workflows. Explore our top-rated, curated selection at XIX.AI for powerful, game-changing guidance. Compare free vs paid options with real-world insights. Unlock your data science mastery today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI flirting and conversation trainers on XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you build social charisma and confidence in real-time. Explore must-try, game-changing tools with free vs paid comparisons and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your social edge today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 latest top-rated AI tools for automated unit testing. Our curated selection features powerful, game-changing solutions to generate Jest, PyTest & JUnit test cases instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings on XIX.AI. Unlock your AI edge and boost development productivity today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Discover the 2026 best AI data visualization tools at XIX.AI. Our curated, top-rated selection helps you auto-generate powerful, interactive BI dashboards from raw files instantly. Compare free vs paid options with real-world tests and weekly updated rankings. Unlock your data's potential today.
10 tools
xix.ai
Interesting move, but I'm a bit concerned about privacy. Always listening features can be tricky. Hope Microsoft has strong safeguards in place for this one. 🤔
Hmm, the 'Hey Copilot!' feature sounds super convenient for hands-free use 🤔. But it also makes me wonder if my laptop will accidentally wake up in a noisy office full of voices and start responding to random conversations... Hope they fine-tune the sensitivity well! Privacy is another thing—always on standby listening... a bit unsettling, frankly.
