Google Assistant appears to have dispensed with the pleasant greeting, as an unfinished update for the voice assistant suggests that you may not need to use the "Hey Google" wake phrase for certain commands in the future.

In the latest Android 11 beta, Android Police found a new section in Android Settings for Google Assistant that includes a toggle to set up voice shortcuts for "quick tasks." The section, codenamed "Guacamole," is currently not functional, but will apparently allow users to speed up key commands without first speaking to Google Assistant.

An APK teardown by 9to5Google reveals more details: the commands under Guacamole's influence will be time sensitive, like answering a call or snoozing an alarm. It is probably for the best that such shortcuts are restricted in this way. You don't want Google Assistant to pipe up every time you ask a question within earshot of the phone.

Nevertheless, given that Guacamole was included on a limited number of Android phones and in an unfinished and inoperable state, its apparent feature set should not necessarily be considered final. Google has reportedly been working on a voice shortcut since March of this year, but has only hinted at it in public.

However, the fact that such a feature first appeared in Android 11 suggests that it may appear before the Android 12 update scheduled for later this year. It is also worth noting that Google has already made basic functions operable on Google Nest and Google Home, as one can cancel a timer or alarm by simply saying "stop" without first saying "hey Google". Perhaps Guacamole is focused on bringing this same functionality to Android phones.

It is also possible that we will see more details about guacamole, and potentially Android 12, at the Google I/O event on May 18-20.