Hotword detection has been a private API since it was introduced. You can't use it unless your app is signed by Google. Android P doesn't seem to change this at all.
Re:Previewing Android P
by on_and_off on Wednesday March 07, 2018 @11:06PM
(#16542206)
Not really, you will just need a foreground service, which you would have needed anyway.
Google has been pretty fair as far as Android APIs go, even the API analyzing your current view hierarchy is open to anybody to implement (IIRC there is of course a big permission dialog to show before allowing an app to use it)
Re:Previewing Android P
by blinkingled on Wednesday March 07, 2018 @07:14PM
(#16541195)
I'm sure this being Android you'll be able to whitelist apps to allow background data collection. You'll just need to find the right setting.
That's kind of unsettling because it seems Google is doing a lot of data collection through their home speakers.
An anecdote:
I got a little creeped out at assistant / home and disabled all the tracking. Almost immediately my Android phone started harassing me to turn permissions back on through my phone. And Google Home refused to do anything with tracking off. It responded to all wake prompts with "you need to change settings".