Google Assistant’s Voice Match feature can now secure purchases made through its voice assistant as part of a limited pilot program. A spokesperson from the company confirmed to Android Police that the functionality is new, and is designed to help secure purchases made on smart speakers and smart displays. At the moment, it’s restricted to in-app digital purchases through Google Play, as well as restaurant orders.
There are a couple different ways to get to the Assistant’s Payments and Security settings panel, where the new setting lives, but the easiest to describe is via the Google app -> More -> Settings -> Google Assistant -> You -> Payments. There, you might see the new “Confirm with Voice Match” option, which is probably disabled by default. Enabling it brings you to a setup screen and additional Google account password confirmation.
Screenshots posted by Android Police show the setup process for the feature. “Use your voice to verify it’s you when making a purchase with your Assistant” the software reads. It also warns that the feature’s security may not be perfect, noting that “someone with a similar voice or recording may be able to confirm purchases on devices you’re logged into.”
