How to Control Your Android Device Entirely With Your Voice

Control Your Android Device with voice

Android voice commands allow you to control your smartphone with your voice. All you need is Google’s official voice control app, called Voice Access.

Let’s look at how to use Voice Access on Android, as well as a few examples of how to control your phone with your voice.

Install Voice Access on Android

First, you’ll need to install Voice Access on your device. The guided setup process may differ depending on your phone, but it’s not a complicated process.

Voice Access requires a minimum of Android 5.0 and the latest version of the Google app. Also, in order to get the full Voice Access experience, it’s recommended that you enable “OK Google” voice detection and install the Pixel Launcher app.

How to Set Up Voice Access on Android

After installation, the Voice Access app will guide you through the setup. The first prompt asks for the Accessibility permission, while the second asks for Phone permissions. A third prompt asks to enable Always on Google Assistant. All three are required for full Voice Access functionality.

If the automated setup process doesn’t launch, you can enable the Accessibility and Always on Google Assistant permissions manually. Here’s how to enable the Accessibility permission:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Access.
2. Switch the service on. A brief tutorial runs after switching the service on (walk through the tutorial).
3. You can pause or activate Voice Access from any screen by pulling down the notification tray and tapping on Voice Access.

Next, here’s how to turn on Always On Google Assistant:

1. Open the Google app and browse to More > Settings > Voice > Voice Match.
2. Turn the permission on for Hey Google.
3. If prompted, go through the guided setup for training Google to recognize your voice.

How to Use Voice Control on Android

To start Voice Access from anywhere on your Android phone:

1. Run the Voice Access app by pulling down the notification tray and tapping on Voice Access. Alternatively, if you enabled always-on voice detection, say “OK Google” aloud.
2. Provide the command you’d like to execute.
3. If you need a full list of voice commands, say “show commands.”

Voice Access overlays numbers on top of everything you can interact with on the screen. Speaking the number or the name of the on-screen item will launch that feature. 

For example, in the screenshot above, saying “two” will activate the Pocket Casts app. Alternatively, you can also say “launch Pocket Casts.” After a brief pause, the app will launch.

Exploring Voice Access Features

There are four categories of features offered by Voice Access:

1. Text composition
2. Menu navigation
3. Gesture control
4. Core functions of the phone

Let’s look at how to use these.

Text Composition via Voice Commands

Text composition allows speech-to-text transcription inside any text entry box. For example, you can write an email using just your voice by doing this:

1. Activate Voice Access on the Gmail homepage, as shown in the left screenshot.
2. Say “compose email” or “five”.
3. Verbally spell out the email address of the recipient.
4. Write your email, speaking the words you would normally type.

Voice Access recognizes commands, such as “backspace” and “enter.” Also, it includes numerous advanced composition voice commands, such as “delete a sentence,” which erases an entire sentence, and “delete a word,” which wipes out the word next to the cursor.

There are a lot more commands than the ones shown here. For a complete list, say “show commands.”

Voice-Controlled Menu Navigation

You can also use your voice for menu navigation. The commands allow you to open apps, navigate forward and back, go to the home screen, and a lot more. Some voice navigational commands include:

• Show notifications
• Show Quick Settings
• Show recent apps
• Open [app name]
• Back

Voice Access Settings

You can access additional features of Voice Access in its Settings menu. Accessing the Settings menu is a little tricky, as you don’t open it from the app drawer like most apps. Instead, you must pull down on the Voice Access entry in the notification tray and then tap on Settings. Alternatively, go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Access > Settings.

Within the Settings menu, there are additional options. Of these, the most important are:

• Activation button: Overlays a persistent bubble on the screen. Tapping on it will let you activate voice recognition from any menu.
• Configure activation key: This lets you assign a physical button, such as a keyboard or Bluetooth switch, as a voice recognition trigger.
• Time out after no speech: Disabling this lets you run Voice Access continually while the phone’s screen is turned on. By default, when enabled this has a 30-second timeout.
• Active during calls: Lets you use Voice Access during phone calls.
• Cancel on touch: Normally, touching the screen disables Voice Access. Enabling this makes it so touching the screen does not disable voice recognition.
• Show all commands: See everything that Voice Access lets you do.
• Open tutorial: Runs through the tutorial again, in case you need a refresher on how to use Voice Access.