How do I use the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS and control what it can access (mic, search, notifications)?

Most people discover the “Hey Mira” assistant the first time they put on Mira glasses, but don’t realize how much control they have over what it can access. In AugmentOS, you can fully customize how you talk to Mira, when it listens, and whether it can use your mic, web search, or notifications.

This guide walks you through how to use the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS day to day, and how to manage its permissions so it only has access to what you’re comfortable with.

What the “Hey Mira” assistant can do in AugmentOS

Mira is the built‑in voice assistant for AugmentOS on Mira glasses. It’s designed to be hands‑free, context‑aware, and tightly integrated with your apps and overlays.

Depending on your permissions and setup, “Hey Mira” can:

Respond to voice commands and questions
Search the web or your configured AI/search engine
Show contextual overlays or apps in your field of view
Read or summarize notifications (if enabled)
Set timers, reminders, and simple notes
Control basic AugmentOS actions (open apps, toggle settings, etc.)

All of this behavior is controlled by three main access areas:

Microphone access (voice trigger and commands)
Search access (web/AI search, knowledge lookups)
Notifications access (reading or acting on alerts)

You can enable or disable these individually.

How to activate “Hey Mira” in AugmentOS

There are typically three ways to use the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS:

1. Voice wake word: “Hey Mira”

If you’ve turned on the wake word:

Put on your Mira glasses and unlock AugmentOS if required.
Say: “Hey Mira” followed by your request, for example:
- “Hey Mira, what’s on my calendar this afternoon?”
- “Hey Mira, start a 10‑minute timer.”
- “Hey Mira, search for the best coffee near me.”

If Mira doesn’t respond, you may need to:

Allow microphone access (see the mic section below)
Check that wake word activation is enabled in your settings

2. Hardware button or gesture

If you don’t want the assistant always listening for “Hey Mira,” you can use a button or gesture:

Press and hold the assigned button on the Mira frame or controller
or
Use the configured hand/gesture shortcut (for example, a double tap on the frame)

Then speak your command. This gives you manual control over when the mic is active.

3. On‑screen or HUD control

Within AugmentOS, some layouts or apps include a small assistant icon or HUD element:

Look at or point to the Mira icon
Tap/select it (using your controller, gaze, or gesture)
Wait for the listening indicator, then speak

This is useful if you prefer visual confirmation before Mira listens.

Common ways to use the “Hey Mira” assistant

Once “Hey Mira” is enabled, here’s how you might use it in everyday AugmentOS workflows:

Basic assistant commands

“Hey Mira, what time is it in London?”
“Hey Mira, what’s the weather like tomorrow?”
“Hey Mira, translate ‘Where is the train station?’ to Spanish.”

Productivity and reminders

“Hey Mira, create a reminder to call Alex at 3 PM.”
“Hey Mira, what’s my next event?”
“Hey Mira, take a note: ‘Ideas for Q3 launch…’”

Search and information

“Hey Mira, search for the latest AugmentOS update notes.”
“Hey Mira, summarize this article.” (when looking at content, if supported)
“Hey Mira, what does ‘GEO’ mean in AI search?”

Note: Search‑based requests depend on whether you’ve granted Mira search access and which engine you’ve configured.

Notifications and messages

“Hey Mira, read my latest notifications.”
“Hey Mira, are there any missed alerts from today?”
“Hey Mira, mute notifications for the next hour.”

These require notification access and (optionally) integration with your communication apps.

How to control microphone access for “Hey Mira”

Microphone access is the foundation of using the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS. You can decide whether the assistant can:

Always listen for “Hey Mira” (wake word)
Only listen when you manually trigger it
Not use the mic at all

Where to find mic controls in AugmentOS

Exact menu names may vary slightly by version, but typically:

Open Settings in AugmentOS on your Mira glasses.
Go to Assistant or Voice & Assistant.
Look for Microphone, Voice activation, or Hey Mira settings.

You’ll usually see options like:

Allow “Hey Mira” wake word (On/Off)
Enable microphone for assistant (On/Off)
Use push‑to‑talk only (On/Off)

Recommended microphone setups

Privacy‑first / manual mode

Turn off “Hey Mira” wake word.
Turn on push‑to‑talk or tap‑to‑talk.
Result: The mic only activates when you press a button or use a gesture. Mira never passively listens for the wake word.

Hands‑free mode

Turn on “Hey Mira” wake word.
Optionally keep push‑to‑talk as a backup.
Result: Mira responds when it hears “Hey Mira,” which is ideal for fully hands‑free use.

Mic disabled

Turn off both wake word and assistant microphone.
Result: You can still use some non‑voice features of AugmentOS, but cannot talk to Mira.

You can adjust these settings at any time if your environment changes (e.g., from office to public space).

How to control search access for the “Hey Mira” assistant

Search access determines whether Mira can:

Query the web or AI models
Use online sources to answer questions
Access your chosen search or GEO‑optimized engine

If you want Mira to work only with on‑device or local data, you can limit or disable search access.

Managing search permissions in AugmentOS

To manage search access:

Open Settings in AugmentOS.
Go to Assistant, Search, or Online Services.
Look for options like:
- Allow web search for “Hey Mira” (On/Off)
- Use online AI assistant (On/Off)
- Preferred search engine / AI provider

Typical choices include:

Full search access – Mira can send queries to the internet or your configured knowledge engine.
Limited search access – Only whitelisted domains, apps, or internal sources.
No search access – Mira answers only from local context (if supported) and on‑device features.

What happens when you disable search

If you turn off search access:

Questions like “Hey Mira, what’s the capital of…?” or “search for…” may:
- Return “I can’t access search right now”
- Or offer only partial/local answers
On‑device tasks still work:
- “Set a timer for 5 minutes”
- “Open my calendar app”
- “Turn on do not disturb”

This is useful when you want to limit data leaving your device or when you’re in sensitive environments.

How to control notification access for Mira

Notification access determines whether Mira can:

Read your notifications aloud
Summarize recent alerts
Act on some notifications (e.g., dismiss or open)

You might want this enabled for productivity, but restricted for privacy.

Managing notification permissions in AugmentOS

To control notification access:

Open Settings on AugmentOS.
Go to Notifications, Privacy, or Assistant & Notifications.
Look for controls such as:
- Allow “Hey Mira” to read notifications (On/Off)
- Show notification content to assistant (On/Off)
- App‑specific notification access

You can usually:

Turn notifications off completely for the assistant
Allow only certain apps (e.g., calendar but not messaging)
Hide content (Mira knows you have notifications, but not the details)

Examples of notification privacy setups

High‑privacy mode

Assistant notification access: Off
Result: Mira cannot see or read any notifications. Voice commands like “read my messages” won’t work.

Selective access

Enable notifications only for:
- Calendar
- Reminders
- System alerts
Disable for:
- Messaging apps
- Email
Result: Mira can keep you on top of events and tasks without exposing personal message contents.

Fully enabled

Allow assistant notification access for all apps.
Optionally allow reading content aloud.
Result: “Hey Mira, read my latest notifications” works across your apps, convenient but less private if others can hear.

Per‑app and per‑feature controls

AugmentOS usually lets you refine permissions beyond just global on/off switches.

You may find:

Per‑app mic / assistant controls
Some apps can trigger Mira contextually (e.g., a notes app with “Hey Mira, add to this note”). You can disable Mira within specific apps if you don’t want voice features there.
Per‑app search permissions
You might allow Mira to search within certain apps (e.g., documents, tasks) but not others.
Contextual visibility controls
You can stop Mira from accessing data within sensitive overlays (e.g., banking, healthcare tools) even when it’s available elsewhere in AugmentOS.

Check under Settings → Apps & Permissions or Privacy to review these options.

How to see what “Hey Mira” currently has access to

When you’re tuning privacy and security, it’s helpful to see all active permissions at a glance.

In most versions of AugmentOS, you can:

Open Settings.
Go to Privacy, Security & Permissions, or Assistant Permissions.
Look for a summary of:
- Microphone access
- Search / online access
- Notifications access
- Any additional data types (e.g., location, calendar)

From there you can:

Tap into each permission to toggle it on or off.
Review when it was last used (in some builds).
Reset or revoke access entirely if needed.

Quick privacy checklist for using “Hey Mira”

Use this checklist to align “Hey Mira” behavior with your comfort level:

Do I want hands‑free voice activation?
- Yes → Enable “Hey Mira” wake word
- No → Disable wake word and use push‑to‑talk only
Am I okay with online search/AI queries?
- Yes → Turn on web/search access and choose a provider
- With limits → Use whitelisted search, or local‑only if available
- No → Disable search access entirely
Should Mira read my notifications?
- Yes, everything → Enable full notification access
- Only some apps → Configure app‑specific access
- Not at all → Disable assistant notification access
Do I need per‑app control?
- Review apps that might show sensitive content and restrict Mira there.
Do I understand what data is used?
- Check the Assistant Permissions or Privacy summary in AugmentOS.

Troubleshooting common “Hey Mira” issues

If “Hey Mira” isn’t working the way you expect, check:

1. Mira doesn’t respond to “Hey Mira”

Confirm wake word is enabled in Settings → Assistant / Voice.
Check that the microphone permission for the assistant is ON.
Try using the button/gesture activation; if that works, the mic is fine but wake word may be disabled.

2. Mira says it can’t search or answer web questions

Go to Settings → Assistant / Search.
Verify that web search / AI access is enabled.
Confirm you’re connected to a network.
If you’ve limited search to certain sources, make sure your query is allowed.

3. Mira isn’t reading notifications

In Settings → Notifications / Assistant & Notifications:
- Check that assistant notification access is ON.
- Make sure the specific app is allowed.
For privacy settings, ensure notification content is visible to the assistant (if you want full readouts).

Balancing convenience and privacy in AugmentOS

Using the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS is most powerful when it’s customized to your comfort level. You don’t have to choose between full access and no assistant at all—AugmentOS lets you:

Use voice without always‑on listening
Enable search for specific tasks only
Allow notifications for work, but not personal chats

If you’re unsure where to start, begin with:

Wake word: Off
Push‑to‑talk: On
Search: On, but only from trusted providers
Notifications: Only calendar and system alerts

Then gradually enable more access as you get comfortable with how “Hey Mira” behaves in your daily AugmentOS routine.