Can I use my phone as a smart speaker?
A smart speaker is a voice-controlled device that uses a virtual assistant to respond to voice commands. Smart speakers are commonly used for playing music, getting information, news updates, weather forecasts, and controlling other smart home devices. Popular smart speakers include the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod.
Smartphones today have many of the same capabilities as dedicated smart speakers. With a voice assistant like Siri, Google Assistant, or Bixby, smartphones can understand natural language requests and complete tasks through voice commands. This opens up the possibility of using your smartphone itself as a smart speaker.
In this article, we will explore turning your smartphone into a DIY smart speaker. By granting microphone access, setting up a virtual assistant, connecting it to external speakers via Bluetooth, and optimizing settings, you can effectively use your phone just like an Amazon Echo or Google Home.
Microphone Access
One of the key features of smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Home is that they have always-on microphones listening for “wake words” like “Alexa” or “Hey Google” (Source: https://www.androidpolice.com/manage-android-camera-microphone-permissions/). This allows the speakers to instantly detect commands and requests from users. Smartphones like Android phones or iPhones have microphones built in, but users often need to manually grant permission for apps to access the microphone (Source: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9431959?hl=en). By default, the microphone is not always listening on a smartphone.
To use an Android phone as a smart speaker, the user would need to grant permission for always-on microphone access to the virtual assistant app, like Google Assistant (Source: https://www.lifewire.com/turn-on-microphone-on-android-5184530). This allows the phone to listen for “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” wake words even when the screen is off or the app is in the background. iPhones require similar microphone access permissions to be granted to Siri. Without the always-listening microphone access, the smartphone can’t function hands-free like a dedicated smart speaker.
Virtual Assistants
Smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home use virtual assistants (VAs) like Alexa and Google Assistant to respond to voice commands and queries. Smartphones also give you access to the same VAs through their respective apps, allowing you to use your phone just like a smart speaker.
Popular virtual assistants available on smartphones include Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Bixby. By downloading the app for the VA, granting the necessary permissions, and connecting your phone, you can ask questions, get information, control smart home devices, set reminders, play music and more.
VAs on smartphones use the internet connection and microphone access to understand natural language requests. The apps utilize advanced AI and natural language processing to determine the intent behind the voice request and provide a relevant response or action.
Bluetooth Connectivity
Smartphones can easily connect to and control other devices like smart speakers via Bluetooth, a wireless technology standard for exchanging data between devices over short distances (Bluetooth – Wikipedia). Bluetooth allows two devices to communicate without wires or cables, relying on short-range radio frequency to link together (Understanding Bluetooth Technology | CISA).
Most smartphones today come with Bluetooth built-in, allowing them to pair with speakers, headphones, cars, and more. This enables smartphones to act as wireless hubs, streaming music or audio to other devices. Since smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home also have Bluetooth connectivity, smartphones can connect directly to them to play audio or access the speaker’s virtual assistant features.
Setting up a Bluetooth connection between a smartphone and smart speaker only takes a few quick steps, with no coding required. Once paired, the user can control playback and volume directly from their phone. The range is usually around 30 feet, allowing flexibility in where devices can be placed.
With widespread Bluetooth support on most modern devices, tapping into a smartphone’s capabilities via Bluetooth makes it easy to use it as a smart speaker.
Speaker Quality
When it comes to audio quality, dedicated smart speakers generally outperform smartphone speakers. Smart speakers are designed specifically for playing music and audio, so they tend to have larger drivers, more advanced audio components, and louder maximum volumes than smartphones (https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/smart-speakers-vs-smart-displays/).
High-end smart speakers like the Sonos One or Amazon Echo Studio can fill an entire room with rich, detailed sound thanks to their multi-driver setups and digital signal processing. In comparison, even premium smartphones struggle to match the loudness and bass response of dedicated speakers due to their smaller form factor (https://www.exceptional.com/homes/home-technology/bluetooth-speakers-vs-smart-speakers/).
That said, flagship smartphones have improved greatly in audio performance over the years. Models like the Samsung Galaxy S22 and iPhone 14 Pro produce surprisingly good sound quality from their built-in speakers. But ultimately, smart speakers will outclass any smartphone in terms of pure audio fidelity.
Setting it Up
To use your smartphone as a smart speaker, you’ll need to enable a few settings to allow always-on microphone access and connect to Bluetooth devices. Here are the basic steps:
First, enable the microphone permission for your preferred virtual assistant app like the Google Assistant. On Android, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Advanced > App permissions > Microphone and ensure the virtual assistant app has permission to access the microphone at all times (1). On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and enable “Always Allow” access for the virtual assistant app.
Next, make sure your smartphone is discoverable via Bluetooth. Go to your Bluetooth settings and ensure visibility is turned on so other devices can find and pair with your phone. You may also need to enable media audio sharing via Bluetooth on your smartphone (2).
Finally, connect your phone and the external Bluetooth speaker or device you want to use. Put both devices into pairing mode and connect them so your smartphone can stream audio via Bluetooth. Once connected, you can use your smartphone’s mic and virtual assistant while playing audio on the external speaker.
Use Cases
Smartphones can be utilized in many of the same ways as dedicated smart speakers when it comes to common use cases. Some examples include:
Playing music – Smartphone assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa allow users to request songs, playlists, albums, podcasts, and more completely hands-free. The smartphone processes the voice command and begins streaming audio via services like Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora.
Controlling smart home devices – Smartphones can control internet-connected lights, thermostats, security cameras, and other smart home gadgets when paired with a smart home hub. Users can turn devices on or off, adjust settings, and more with just their voice.
Making hands-free calls – Placing calls to contacts hands-free is a simple use case for smartphone assistants. Users can command it to call a specific person, dial phone numbers, or redial recent calls without having to touch the phone.
Getting information – General questions, trivia, calculations, definitions, translations, and more can be answered by virtual assistants on smartphones. It taps into knowledge bases and search engines to find requested information.
Setting reminders & alarms – Reminders for tasks and alarms/timers can be created and managed solely via voice commands on a smartphone. The assistant adds them to the user’s calendar or alarm clock app automatically.
Limitations
While using your phone as a smart speaker is convenient, phones do have some limitations compared to dedicated smart speakers like Amazon Echo or Google Home. One key limitation is the smaller speaker size on phones. Smart speakers are designed with more powerful speakers and subwoofers to provide room-filling audio. Phone speakers, while decent, cannot match the sound quality and volume output of larger smart speakers. This makes phones less ideal for playing music across a whole room.
Battery life can also be a concern when using your phone as a smart speaker. The constant use of the microphone, network connectivity, and speaker can drain your phone’s battery much faster than normal. You may need to keep your phone plugged in, whereas smart speakers are stationary and don’t have battery limitations.
In addition, most phones have fewer microphones than dedicated smart speakers like the Amazon Echo, which has seven mics. With fewer mics, the phone may not hear you as clearly from far away or in noisy environments. The always-on listening capabilities of smart speakers also surpass phones in most cases.
While phones can serve as makeshift smart speakers, limitations like speaker size, battery usage, and fewer microphones prevent them from matching the performance of devices designed specifically for that purpose. Carefully consider your needs when deciding between using your phone or investing in a standalone smart speaker.
Privacy Considerations
One of the biggest concerns when using phones as smart speakers is privacy, especially given their use of always-on microphones and voice data collection. Virtual assistants have come under scrutiny for privacy violations, with research suggesting 40% of users have concerns over what happens to their voice data (https://www.privacypolicies.com/blog/voice-assistants-privacy-issues/). The always-on microphones on phones listen for wake words and can accidentally record private conversations.
Private conversations and ambient noises are often stored on company servers, raising concerns over data use. While companies like Google and Apple promise to anonymize data, many question how private voice data truly is. There is also the risk of security flaws allowing hackers to access recordings.
While voice assistants provide convenience, users concerned about privacy should review permissions, change default settings, and delete recordings regularly. Using a manual wake word and turning off the microphone when not in use can also help. Ultimately there is a tradeoff between utility and privacy that each user must evaluate for themselves.
Conclusions
In summary, using your smartphone as a smart speaker is a convenient option that many people already have in their pockets. Modern smartphones have microphones and speakers that allow them to listen and respond to voice commands, as well as connect wirelessly to other devices to play audio. The main benefits are convenience, portability, and cost savings from not needing to purchase a separate smart speaker. The drawbacks are potential limitations in audio quality and microphone range compared to dedicated smart speakers, as well as battery drainage.
Using your smartphone as a casual smart speaker for simple requests, notifications, and occasional music playback can work well, especially if you already rely on your phone for numerous daily tasks. For more serious home audio or smart home needs, a dedicated smart speaker may provide better performance and connectivity. Consider your primary usage – if you just want basic hands-free commands or audio playback while you’re near your phone, then go ahead and leverage it as a smart speaker. But if you want whole-home audio or robust smart home integrations, you may want to invest in a standalone smart speaker. With the right setup and expectations, your smartphone can absolutely double as a smart speaker.
In terms of recommendations, make sure your phone is plugged in or sufficiently charged when using it as a smart speaker for longer durations. Enable full microphone access for your preferred virtual assistant app and connect the phone to available Bluetooth speakers for improved audio quality. Position your phone appropriately to take advantage of the microphone’s range, and adjust settings like voice activation sensitivity as needed. Use cases like playing music, getting notifications, controlling smart home devices, or setting timers and alarms are all convenient options. Just keep your expectations realistic based on your smartphone’s specifications and your usage habits.