Hey Friday supports hands-free activation — starting a conversation without touching your phone. The setup process is different on iPhone and Android. Here is how to set it up on each platform.
Android: Always-On Wake Word
On Android with Chrome, Hey Friday supports continuous listening for the "Hey Friday" wake phrase. When enabled, you can say "Hey Friday" at any time while the app is open, and it will begin listening for your message.
Enabling Always-On Listening
- Open Hey Friday in Chrome on Android.
- Tap the user menu (your avatar or initial, top-right corner).
- Find the Always-On Listening toggle and enable it.
- Allow microphone access if prompted.
Once enabled, say "Hey Friday" to activate listening. The app will respond with a short acknowledgment sound, then begin transcribing your message.
Important Notes for Android Always-On
- Always-on listening only works while Hey Friday is open and in the foreground. It does not work when the app is in the background or the screen is off.
- Always-on listening uses slightly more battery than normal use. Disable it when you do not need it.
- The feature uses your device's microphone continuously while active. This is expected behavior — the audio is processed on-device and not recorded.
iPhone: Siri Shortcut Method
Apple does not allow third-party web apps to use always-on wake words on iOS. However, you can create a Siri Shortcut that opens Hey Friday and starts listening automatically when you say "Hey Friday" to Siri.
Creating the Siri Shortcut
- Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone (pre-installed, or download from App Store).
- Tap the + button in the top right to create a new shortcut.
- Tap "Add Action."
- Search for "Open URLs" and select it.
- In the URL field, enter:
https://app.heyfriday.co?autostart=1 - Tap the shortcut name at the top and rename it to "Hey Friday."
- Tap "Done."
Using the Siri Shortcut
Say "Hey Siri, Hey Friday" — Siri will open Hey Friday and the ?autostart=1 parameter triggers automatic listening. You can then speak your message without touching the screen.
Alternatively, you can add the shortcut to your home screen or action button for one-tap activation without using Siri.
Troubleshooting
Wake word not responding (Android): Make sure Hey Friday is open and in the foreground, Always-On is enabled, and microphone permission is granted. Try toggling Always-On off and back on.
Siri shortcut not opening Hey Friday (iPhone): Make sure Hey Friday is installed as a PWA (added to home screen from Safari). If Hey Friday is not installed, the shortcut will open it in Safari instead of the standalone app.