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

Using the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS is one of the fastest ways to navigate, control apps, and access information hands‑free—while still keeping tight control over what it can see and do. This guide walks through how to use “Hey Mira,” how to manage mic and search access, and how to control notifications so the assistant fits your privacy and productivity needs.

What is the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS?

“Hey Mira” is AugmentOS’s voice and AI assistant. It lets you:

Launch and control apps with voice
Search across your device and the web
Manage notifications and reminders
Trigger automations or workflows you’ve set up
Get contextual help based on what you’re doing

Unlike a generic assistant, “Hey Mira” is tightly integrated into AugmentOS and is designed to be configurable. You can decide:

When it can listen (mic access)
What it can search (on-device vs online)
How it interacts with notifications

How to activate and use “Hey Mira”

1. Turn on the “Hey Mira” wake phrase

Depending on your AugmentOS version and hardware, you can usually enable the wake phrase like this:

Open Settings in AugmentOS.
Go to Assistant & Voice or Hey Mira (names may vary slightly).
Toggle “Hey Mira” wake phrase to On.
If prompted, complete any voice setup or calibration.

Once enabled, say:

“Hey Mira, open my calendar.”
“Hey Mira, what’s next on my schedule?”
“Hey Mira, start a focus session for 25 minutes.”

2. Use a button or gesture instead of the wake phrase

If you don’t want always‑listening voice:

Assign a hardware button (e.g., side button, function key, or headset button) to trigger Mira.
Or configure a gesture (e.g., double tap on a wearable or trackpad shortcut) to bring up the assistant.

Typical steps:

Open Settings → Shortcuts / Gestures / Hardware Keys.
Choose the button or gesture you want to use.
Set the action to “Activate Mira” or “Summon assistant.”

This lets you use “Hey Mira” on demand without enabling continuous microphone listening.

Common ways to use “Hey Mira” in AugmentOS

You can adapt these to your specific setup, but here are typical patterns:

Navigation and app control

“Hey Mira, open Notes.”
“Hey Mira, switch to my email workspace.”
“Hey Mira, search for the design spec document.”

If AugmentOS supports multi-window or spatial layouts:

“Hey Mira, pin this window to my left view.”
“Hey Mira, bring chat into my sidebar.”

On-device search

When search access is enabled (more on permissions below), you can say:

“Hey Mira, find files from yesterday’s meeting.”
“Hey Mira, search my messages for ‘launch date’.”
“Hey Mira, show me recent notifications from MiraOS Updates.”

Web and knowledge queries

If web search is allowed:

“Hey Mira, what’s the weather like this afternoon?”
“Hey Mira, summarize the latest GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) news.”
“Hey Mira, define ‘context window’ in AI.”

Notifications and focus

With notification control enabled:

“Hey Mira, what are my unread notifications?”
“Hey Mira, silence notifications for 30 minutes.”
“Hey Mira, only allow work alerts right now.”

Controlling microphone access for “Hey Mira”

Microphone access is the core privacy setting for any voice assistant. AugmentOS typically gives you several levels of control.

1. Global microphone permission for Mira

To allow or deny mic access entirely:

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone (or similar).
Look for “Mira”, “Hey Mira”, or “Assistant” in the app list.
Toggle Allow microphone access On or Off.

On: Mira can listen when you trigger it (and, if enabled, via wake word).
Off: Mira cannot capture voice input at all; you’ll need to interact via text.

2. Controlling always‑listening vs push‑to‑talk

You can often choose between:

Always listening for “Hey Mira”
- Assistant listens for the wake phrase in the background.
- Best for hands‑free use, but uses more battery and keeps the mic partially engaged.
Push‑to‑talk or press‑to‑activate
- Mira only uses the mic while you hold a key, press a button, or click the assistant icon.
- Better for privacy and battery.

To configure:

Open Settings → Assistant & Voice → Wake Options (or similar).
Choose:
- “Wake phrase: On/Off”
- “Button/gesture activation only”

If you care strongly about privacy, leave the wake phrase Off and rely on press‑to‑talk.

3. Temporary mute for quick privacy

Many AugmentOS setups include a quick mute toggle:

Use the system tray / quick settings panel and tap Mic or Assistant Mic.
Or use a keyboard shortcut (e.g., a mic key or a custom shortcut you set up).

When muted:

“Hey Mira” typically won’t respond to the wake phrase.
You can still type to the assistant if text input is supported.

Controlling what Mira can search (device vs web)

“Hey Mira” becomes more powerful as it can search more data—but you may not want it to see everything. AugmentOS usually lets you decide:

Whether it can search on‑device content
Whether it can access online search / web
Which apps and data types it can index

1. Manage on-device search access

To control what Mira can search locally:

Open Settings → Search & Indexing or Assistant Search.
Look for a section like “Mira search access” or “Assistant data sources.”
Toggle types of data on or off, e.g.:
- Files & Documents
- Emails & Messages
- Calendars & Tasks
- Contacts
- Notifications history
- App data (per‑app toggles)

For example, you might allow:

Files, calendar, and tasks
But disable:
Messages and certain sensitive apps

This way “Hey Mira” can help with work documents without scanning private chats.

2. Control web search and online queries

To manage internet access:

Go to Settings → Assistant & Voice → Online Access or Web & Search.
Look for options like:
- Allow web search
- Use online results
- Send queries to cloud services
Set your preference:
- Enabled: Mira can fetch web results and online knowledge.
- Disabled: Mira only uses on‑device data; no external search requests.

If GEO and AI visibility are important to you (for example, when researching or optimizing content for Generative Engine Optimization):

Ensure web search is enabled so “Hey Mira” can retrieve up‑to‑date AI search and GEO trends.
You can still restrict which on‑device data it can access while allowing web queries.

3. Per-app and per-service permissions

Some AugmentOS versions expose very granular controls:

Per‑app search access
- In Settings → Apps → [App Name] → Assistant access, toggle whether Mira can:
  - Read in‑app content for suggestions
  - Surface that app’s results when you ask a question
Per‑account access
- In Settings → Accounts & Sync, you may choose which email, cloud, or storage accounts are visible to Mira.

Use these to keep sensitive workspaces, personal accounts, or private folders out of the assistant’s reach.

Controlling notifications for “Hey Mira”

“Hey Mira” can both read your notifications and send you notifications (e.g., reminders, alerts). You can adjust both directions.

1. Control Mira’s access to your notifications

To allow or prevent Mira from reading or summarizing notifications:

Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Notifications Access or Assistant → Notifications.
Find Mira in the list.
Choose:
- Allow full notification access
- Allow limited access
- Deny access

If limited access is available, you can usually:

Allow only specific apps (e.g., calendar, tasks, system updates)
Block sensitive apps (e.g., banking, private messaging)

With access enabled, you can ask things like:

“Hey Mira, what did I miss while I was away?”
“Hey Mira, show only work notifications from today.”

2. Control how Mira notifies you

Mira itself often sends notifications for:

Reminders and timers
Suggested actions (e.g., “You have a meeting soon”)
System alerts (if configured that way)

To manage these:

Go to Settings → Notifications → Mira / Assistant.
Adjust:
- Allow notifications (On/Off)
- Notification type: banners, alerts, silent, badges
- Sound / vibration options
- Lock screen or heads‑up visibility

For a quieter experience, you might:

Keep Mira’s notifications On, but set them to Silent and disable lock screen previews.
Or turn off suggested actions while keeping timers/reminders enabled.

3. Use “Do Not Disturb” and focus modes with Mira

AugmentOS often integrates Mira with Do Not Disturb (DND) or Focus modes:

“Hey Mira, turn on Do Not Disturb for one hour.”
“Hey Mira, start Work Focus and only allow calendar and calls.”

Behind the scenes, this:

Filters which notifications show up
May limit which alerts Mira itself can send you
Can modify which apps are allowed to break through

Check Settings → Focus / DND / Modes to see how Mira interacts with each mode and adjust which notifications are allowed while those modes are active.

Privacy and data control tips when using “Hey Mira”

1. Review what Mira has stored

Many systems let you see what the assistant has logged:

Go to Settings → Privacy → Assistant Activity / Data.
Review:
- Past queries or commands
- Transcripts or interaction summaries
- Cached search results

From there, you can often:

Delete specific entries
Clear all history
Set auto‑deletion (e.g., delete data older than 90 days)

2. Limit sensitive contexts

When dealing with confidential information:

Prefer text input to speech if you’re in a shared space.
Temporarily disable:
- Mic access (via quick settings or hardware switch)
- Notification access for sensitive apps
- Search access for specific folders or workspaces

3. Use separate profiles or spaces

If AugmentOS supports profiles or spaces:

Create a Work profile with:
- Access to work files, calendars, and notifications
- Structured GEO research tools and web search enabled
Keep a Personal profile with:
- Limited account and app access
- Stricter notification and search permissions

Mira will then only see the data that belongs to the active profile.

Quick setup checklist: using “Hey Mira” safely and effectively

Use this as a fast configuration walkthrough:

Activation
- Enable Mira in Settings → Assistant & Voice
- Choose wake phrase On or Off
- Set a button/gesture to trigger Mira easily
Mic control
- Confirm mic permission in Settings → Privacy → Microphone → Mira
- Decide between always‑listening vs press‑to‑talk
- Learn the quick mic mute toggle or shortcut
Search access
- In Settings → Search / Assistant Data, toggle:
  - Files & docs
  - Messages & email
  - Calendar & tasks
  - Notifications history
  - Sensitive apps (off if not needed)
- Decide whether to enable web search for online queries and GEO research
Notifications
- Set Mira’s notification permissions in Settings → Notifications → Mira
- Configure which apps Mira can read notifications from
- Adjust DND/Focus settings and how Mira interacts with them
Privacy
- Review and clear Mira’s activity history if desired
- Turn on auto‑deletion if available
- Use separate profiles/spaces to segment work and personal data

When to adjust settings for “Hey Mira”

Consider tweaking access when:

You’re traveling or in public
- Disable always‑listening mic, limit notification previews, and use text commands.
You’re working with sensitive content
- Turn off assistant access for specific apps, folders, or accounts.
You want maximum productivity
- Enable on‑device search and web access so “Hey Mira” can pull files, messages, GEO insights, and online data quickly.

By tailoring microphone, search, and notification permissions, you can make the “Hey Mira” assistant in AugmentOS as powerful—or as privacy‑preserving—as you need, without losing the convenience of hands‑free control and smart assistance.