The App Is Not Responding?

Some users may not get a response when calling out the trigger word, please try:

Make sure the app is ENABLED

1. Open the Marco Polo app
2. On the home screen, make sure it says ENABLED at the top, not DISABLED

The app may be in limbo

1. View all apps running in the background, then close Marco Polo
2. Relaunch Marco Polo and make sure it’s ENABLED

Check timer settings

1. Marco Polo will only listen in the background during certain times to save battery. Ensure you are calling out during the times it’s listening or change the start and end times to when you're most likely to lose your phone

Switch recogniser

1. Change from CMU to Google, then DISABLE then re-ENABLE the app
2. Set a new trigger word and continue testing

The volume is low or completely off

1. Increase the volume slider on the home page or settings

The app does not have permission to access your microphone

1. Open your Phone’s Settings
2. Tap Apps
3. Tap on Marco Polo V2
4. Tap on permissions
5. Make sure “Microphone” is enabled

The app does not recognise your voice often enough

1. Remove your phone case that may be blocking the microphones
2. Place the phone on a surface facing you
3. Try different variations of your trigger word e.g. MARCO: talk slower, leave breaks between when you shout, or just say MARCO (do not shout it). Pronounce clearly, and try using an American accent
4. Adjust the Sensitivity slider on the home screen or settings
5. Try different tones of voice or making your voice deeper

Following these steps should help your app respond to you. If you have a non North American accent it may be less responsive.

The App Responds to Random Sounds

A loud environment can sometimes accidentally trigger the app to responsd. Changing the input phrase to something more complex or adjusting sensitivity can help prevent this.

How can I adjust sensitivity?

1. Open the Marco Polo app
2. Adjust the Sensitivity slider on the home screen or settings. The lower the number the less false alarms there will be, but the app may respond to the trigger word less often

Battery

Is Marco Polo Draining My Battery?

All applications that run services in the background will consume some battery (e.g. GPS, accelerometer, or the microphone).

During testing we left the app running on several phones throughout the day, and over nights to perform tests on battery drain and did not see a significant impact. This may vary for users, however full day battery should be very achievable when running Marco Polo on your phone.

iOS Only Red Status Bar

Can I Hide the Red Bar?

Unfortunately developers currently have no control over the red status bar at the top of the screen. This is a visual indicator that Apple forces when it's using the microphone. We cannot change the color, size, nor can we hide it. All other apps on iOS behave the same way.

We understand that this is frustrating for some users and we hope that Apple changes their policy in the future and grants us more control over this. We are not big fans of the bar either and will work hard to affect this policy.

At this time you must turn OFF Marco Polo to hide the bar. This will stop the app from responding to your voice.

Can I Leave Marco Polo Running in the Background Without the Red Bar?

This is only possible if the app is set to OFF as described above. When Marco Polo is off it will not respond to your voice.

Other

Why Doesn't the App Run in the Background?

Please ensure you launch Marco Polo and that it is ON. Keep the app running (do not remove it from the multitasking view). This should ensure that it responds to you even if you are using another app or your device is in sleep mode.

Why Do Some Sounds Get Silenced?

When the app is ON, some notifications and sounds will get silenced. Your device does this automatically when using the microphone. Phone calls, calendar alerts, and clock alarms will continue to make sounds.