"Hey SniffBot" wake word
Open SniffBot without touching the screen — just say "Hey SniffBot" and the voice-add dialog (or the live conversation, if you're Premium) pops up automatically.
How it works
The wake word runs entirely in your browser, using the native Web Speech API built into Chrome, Edge, and Safari. ScentSell does not stream any audio to its servers while the wake word is listening — the recognition happens locally on your device. When it detects the phrase "Hey SniffBot", it triggers the voice-add dialog; your actual utterance after that is then transcribed server-side (Deepgram Nova-3).
:::warning Requires the app to be in the foreground The wake word only works while the ScentSell page is open and visible. Browsers do not allow background microphone listening for security reasons. For true Siri / Google Assistant-style always-on wake words, an iOS/Android native app would be required — that's on the roadmap, not live today. :::
Compatibility
| Platform | Browser | Support |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone / iPad | Safari 14.5+ | ✅ Works well |
| iPhone / iPad | Chrome / Firefox | ❌ No Web Speech API on iOS Chrome |
| Android | Chrome | ✅ Works reliably |
| Android | Samsung Internet | ✅ Works |
| Android | Firefox | ⚠️ Spotty |
| Mac | Safari, Chrome, Edge | ✅ Works well |
| Windows | Chrome, Edge | ✅ Works well |
For the best experience, install ScentSell as a PWA (see Install ScentSell as an app) and enable the wake word inside the installed app.
How to enable it
- Open any ScentSell page.
- Tap the ScentSell AI bottle in the bottom-right to open the SniffBot drawer.
- In the drawer header, tap the "Hey SniffBot" button.
- Your browser will ask for microphone permission — tap Allow.
- The button goes green with a pulsing dot — ScentSell is listening for the wake phrase.
- Say "Hey SniffBot" anywhere in the app and the voice-add dialog will open.
Your choice persists — next time you open ScentSell, wake word is still on. Tap the button again to turn it off.
iPhone specifics
- Only works in Safari (and the installed PWA which IS Safari under the hood).
- Chrome on iOS uses WebKit and does not expose the Web Speech API — so the wake word button won't appear there.
- First time you allow mic access, iOS may prompt again each session in Safari. Installing ScentSell as an app fixes this — grant once, lasts forever.
Android specifics
- Works in Chrome, Edge, and Samsung Internet.
- On Pixel and Samsung devices with "Hey Google" enabled at the OS level, our wake word and theirs run side-by-side without conflict — the OS Hey Google detector is tuned specifically for "Google" and won't false-trigger on "SniffBot".
Privacy
While the wake word is active:
- Audio is processed locally in your browser only.
- Nothing is sent to ScentSell servers until after "Hey SniffBot" is detected AND you start actually speaking.
- Your full utterance is then sent securely (HTTPS) to our transcription service (Deepgram, with Whisper fallback) for that single interaction.
- No audio is stored — only the resulting text transcript in your sniffbot_memory history.
- Turn it off any time by tapping the "Hey SniffBot" button again.
Troubleshooting
Button doesn't appear — your browser doesn't support the Web Speech API. Switch to Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android) and reload.
Says "Wake word off" immediately after I enable it — browser didn't get mic permission. Re-tap; when the permission dialog appears, tap Allow. Check your site settings if you previously denied.
Triggers on random speech — Web Speech's matcher is best-effort, not perfect. Try speaking a clearer "Hey SniffBot" with a brief pause before. If false-triggers persist, turn it off and open SniffBot by tap instead.
Doesn't trigger after a while — browsers throttle background tabs. Keep ScentSell visible (or install the PWA so it runs foreground when open).
Next steps: