A system to detect activation phrases in remote devices, comprising: a natural language processor component executed by a first client device to: receive a first instance of a first input audio signal detected by a first microphone (130) of a sensing device; parse the first instance of the first input audio signal to identify a first candidate activation phrase in the first instance of the first input audio signal; determine that the first candidate activation phrase does not contain a predetermined activation phrase; receive a second instance of the first input audio signal detected by a second microphone (130) of the sensing device; parse the second instance of the first input audio signal to identify a second candidate activation phrase in the second instance of the first input audio signal; and determine that the second candidate activation phrase contains the predetermined activation phrase; and an interface of the first client device to: transmit, based on a determination that the second candidate activation phrase contains the predetermined activation phrase, either (i) an audio signal associated with at least one of the first instance of the first input audio signal and the second instance of the first input audio signal or (ii) at least one of the first instance of the first input audio signal and the second instance of the first input audio signal, to a data processing system comprising a second natural language processor component to identify a request in the at least one of the first instance of the first input audio signal and the second instance of the first input audio signal. a natural language processor component executed by a first client device to: receive a first instance of a first input audio signal detected by a first microphone (130) of a sensing device; parse the first instance of the first input audio signal to identify a first candidate activation phrase in the first instance of the first input audio signal; determine that the first candidate activation phrase does not contain a predetermined activation phrase; receive a second instance of the first input audio signal detected by a second microphone (130) of the sensing device; parse the second instance of the first input audio signal to identify a second candidate activation phrase in the second instance of the first input audio signal; and determine that the second candidate activation phrase contains the predetermined activation phrase; and receive a first instance of a first input audio signal detected by a first microphone (130) of a sensing device; parse the first instance of the first input audio signal to identify a first candidate activation phrase in the first instance of the first input audio signal; determine that the first candidate activation phrase does not contain a predetermined activation phrase; receive a second instance of the first input audio signal detected by a second microphone (130) of the sensing device; parse the second instance of the first input audio signal to identify a second candidate activation phrase in the second instance of the first input audio signal; and determine that the second candidate activation phrase contains the predetermined activation phrase; and an interface of the first client device to: transmit, based on a determination that the second candidate activation phrase contains the predetermined activation phrase, either (i) an audio signal associated with at least one of the first instance of the first input audio signal and the second instance of the first input audio signal or (ii) at least one of the first instance of the first input audio signal and the second instance of the first input audio signal, to a data processing system comprising a second natural language processor component to identify a request in the at least one of the first instance of the first input audio signal and the second instance of the first input audio signal.