Have an Android phone? Cast a Harry Potter spell

The announcement coincides with the release of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, a prequel to the ‘Harry Potter’ series, on 18 November.

The announcement coincides with the release of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, a prequel to the ‘Harry Potter’ series, on 18 November.

Ever thought you were a witch or wizard living in a world full of muggles?

Or wondered how a spell from Hogwarts would work in the muggle-world?

Android users now have a real chance to experience that magic.

Google on Tuesday announced on its blog that the company is launching some new features on its Android mobile operating system that will add a touch of magic to the user’s commands.

Just by saying “Ok Google” followed by “Lumos”, “Nox” and “Silencio”, a user can turn the flashlight on and off and silence the ringer, respectively. There are only three spells available for now and they work, just make sure you pronounce the words very carefully.

At Hogwarts, the spell ”Lumos” turns the characters’ wands into flashlights, “Nox” causes the light at the end of the caster’s wand to be extinguished, and “Silencio” makes people go silent.

The announcement coincides with the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a Warner Brothers’ film which is a prequel to the Harry Potter series, on 18 November.

Users can also “explore the world of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with Google Street View,” the blog said. “Visit New York in 1926 as brought to life in the film, as well as the real locations today.”

Using the Daydream View virtual reality headset, users can wave a wand to explore the world of magic and find escaped characters. The Daydream View device goes on sale later this month.

My Potterhead wife says she would love to have the summoning charm (Accio) in real life. While that may still be some distance away from reality, the latest features by Google are cool perks for the Potter fans. And when you feel like a broken wand as OK Google keeps changing your “Lumos” to “new moss” or “Nox” to “now”, remember that you have an edge over the iPhone users—they still don’t have this feature.

[“Source-Livemint”]