How Nexus works

Meet Nexus is who she is. This page is what happens, step by step, when you talk to her.

One request, start to finish

Listening for her name. Each speaker's own computer listens for "Hey Nexus" and nothing else. Until it hears her name, nothing is recorded, kept or sent anywhere. The mute button on a speaker turns its microphone off.
Turning speech into text. Once she's been called, what you say is turned into text on that speaker's computer. The audio itself is never kept, and never leaves the house.
One answer, not two. Both speakers report how clearly they heard you, and only the closest one answers.
Who's talking. A short voice print tells Jeremy and Candice apart. It only changes how she speaks to you (Candice gets the sweet Nexus); it never unlocks anything.
Working out what you want. The text goes to her language model on the Hive, together with her personality and what she remembers about the household. She decides whether you want a conversation, an answer, a look-up, or something done in the house.
Checking permission. House actions can only be things Jeremy has put on her approved list: run a routine, switch a light group, start music. Anything else is refused, however it's worded.
Doing it. Approved actions go to the home automation platform, which carries them out. Look-ups go out through privacy guards (see Privacy).
Answering. She replies in her own voice, made on the Hive, through the speaker that heard you. Important news can also reach the right person's phone.

The tablet and phones send typed requests to the same Nexus, with the same permission checks. Each screen knows whose it is, so Jeremy's alerts never show up on Candice's phone and the other way round.
Email to Nexus is scanned first. She answers only with public facts and can't take any action from an email.
Pages in the browser add-on go to her local model with no tools at all, so a web page can't make her do anything.

Change her own code, her own permissions or her own off switch.
Turn on a camera just because seeing would be handy.
Install anything. Every change to the system is built, reviewed and installed by people.