How do I turn off speech services?
Understanding Speech Services
Speech services refer to voice-controlled virtual assistants that can understand spoken commands and complete tasks or provide information in response. Some of the most well-known examples of speech services include Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant. These speech services utilize natural language processing and speech recognition technology to listen to and interpret human speech in order to respond or take action.
Speech services like Siri and Alexa allow users to interact with their devices hands-free by speaking commands to play music, set alarms, search the internet, control smart home devices, and more. The speech service processes the audio, translates it to text, analyzes the request, and provides a relevant spoken response. This creates a conversational interface that aims to understand context and intent.
Major technology companies like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Google develop their own proprietary speech services to provide voice assistant capabilities across their ecosystems of devices and services. The market for speech services continues to grow as consumers embrace the convenience of voice control.
Why You Might Want to Disable Speech Services
There are several reasons why someone might choose to disable speech services on their devices, with privacy and security being a major concern. Speech services rely on an internet connection and transmit recordings of your voice to company servers for processing. This opens the potential for voice data leaks or unauthorized access (The Voice Privacy Problem). Companies claim security measures are in place, but total data protection can’t be guaranteed (Data, privacy, and security for Speech to text – Azure AI).
Another reason is to reduce distractions. Having voice assistants constantly listening can disrupt focus while working or studying. Turning them off eliminates random interruptions and commentary.
Parents may also want to limit or disable speech services for their children’s devices. This prevents kids from making purchases or accessing inappropriate content through voice commands without supervision.
Turning Off Siri and Cortana
Siri and Cortana are the voice assistants developed by Apple and Microsoft respectively. Here are the steps to turn them off on your devices:
To turn off Siri on an iPhone or iPad [1]:
- Open the Settings app
- Go to Siri & Search
- Toggle off “Listen for ‘Hey Siri'” and “Press Side Button for Siri”
To turn off Cortana on Windows [2]:
- Open the Cortana app
- Go to Settings > Permissions & History
- Toggle off “Hey Cortana” and “Show Cortana icon on Taskbar”
With these steps, you can disable the always-listening and summoning features of Siri and Cortana to prevent them from activating and recording audio unintentionally.
Turning Off Alexa
One of the most popular voice assistants is Amazon’s Alexa. To turn off Alexa’s ability to listen and respond to voice commands, you’ll need to adjust settings in the Alexa app.
First, open the Alexa app on your mobile device. Tap on the More icon in the bottom right corner, then select Settings. Next, choose Alexa Privacy. Here you can turn off Voice Purchasing to prevent Alexa from placing orders via voice command.
You can also select Manage Your Alexa Data to adjust other permissions. Options include toggling off Personalization and Communications to limit how Alexa uses your data for customized recommendations and marketing.
For full control, you can go into Settings and disable the microphone on specific Alexa-enabled devices like Echo speakers. This prevents Alexa from listening for the wake word. Keep in mind this microphone toggle is device-specific, so you’ll need to manually turn it off on each Alexa gadget.
According to this article, another option is to press and hold the microphone button on Echo devices to turn off the microphone temporarily.
Turning Off Google Assistant
Google Assistant is the default voice assistant on many Android devices. While it can be useful, you may want to disable Google Assistant for privacy or other reasons. Here are a few methods to turn off Google Assistant on an Android device:
Open Google Assistant settings – In the Google app, tap your profile picture and go to Settings > Google Assistant. Turn off access to Voice Match and toggle off “Hey Google” functions.
Adjust activity controls – In your Google Account, go to Data & Privacy > Activity Controls. Turn off Web & App Activity and Voice & Audio Activity. This will limit Google Assistant’s ability to collect data.
Use device settings – Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Default Apps > Assist & Voice Input. Select “None” as the default assistant app. You can also disable microphone access for the Google app.
According to Android Police, using airplane mode, disabling Google app updates, and stopping background data usage may also restrict Google Assistant functionality.
Completely disabling Google Assistant requires multiple steps across device and account settings. While inconvenient, this gives you greater control over limiting the voice assistant.
Turning Off Bixby
Bixby is Samsung’s intelligent assistant that can respond to voice commands and requests. While many Samsung device owners find Bixby useful, others may prefer to disable it. There are a few ways to turn off Bixby on Samsung phones and other devices.
To completely disable Bixby, first open the Bixby settings. This can be done by pressing and holding the Bixby button or by opening the Bixby app and tapping the settings icon. In the settings, turn off the “Voice Wake-up” option to prevent Bixby from activating when it hears its wake word.
You can also disable the Bixby button itself. In the Bixby settings, toggle the Bixby key to the “off” position. This will make pressing the Bixby button do nothing. On some Samsung devices, you may also be able to remap the Bixby button to another function instead of disabling it.
Finally, for the most complete disabling of Bixby, turn off “Personalized Results” in the Bixby settings menu. This prevents Bixby from learning from your usage patterns and providing customized information. With all of these options disabled, Bixby will no longer respond to voice commands or presses of the dedicated button.
However, completely uninstalling Bixby is not recommended, as it is integrated into some core Samsung device functions. While these steps will disable Bixby functionality, the Bixby app will still be installed on Samsung devices.
Using Airplane Mode
Turning on airplane mode is a quick and easy way to temporarily disable voice assistants and speech services on your device. When airplane mode is enabled, it disables all wireless connectivity, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular data, GPS, and more. This prevents your device from transmitting or receiving any signals that would activate voice services.
As this Reddit user discovered, saying “Hey Siri, turn on airplane mode” works reliably, while “Hey Siri, turn off airplane mode” does not. Once airplane mode is turned on, Siri and other speech services are effectively disabled until it is manually turned off again.
According to Apple’s support page, airplane mode disables “the wireless features on your device while you’re flying in an airplane.” This provides a quick way to temporarily suspend speech services if you need a break from voice assistants while maintaining use of your device’s other non-wireless features.
Disabling Microphone Access
One way to turn off speech services is by disabling microphone access for the assistant apps on your device. This prevents the apps from listening to voice commands and activating speech features.
On Android devices, you can go to the app permissions settings and revoke microphone access for individual apps like Google Assistant, Alexa, etc. [1] On iPhones, go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and turn off microphone access for apps you want to disable speech for. [2]
You can also submit feedback or requests to add easier mic revoking options, as some have done for Windows 11. [3] Revoking microphone permissions essentially prevents voice activation and disables speech services in those apps.
Alternative Speech Services
There are alternative speech recognition services that can replace built-in virtual assistants like Siri, Cortana and Bixby. One popular alternative is Dragon NaturallySpeaking by Nuance. Dragon is a dedicated speech recognition software that allows users to dictate text and control their computer by voice alone.
Dragon has robust accessibility features designed for people with mobility impairments or other disabilities. It can be customized with vocabulary and commands for different industries and use cases. Dragon claims up to 99% recognition accuracy and speeds of up to 160 words per minute.
Another option is to use built-in accessibility features of devices instead of virtual assistants. Most smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop operating systems have voice control options designed specifically for users with disabilities. These are basic speech recognition services focused on device navigation and text dictation. They may offer a simpler, more limited alternative for users wanting to minimize or avoid virtual assistants.
Enabling device accessibility features like VoiceOver on iOS, TalkBack on Android, and Narrator on Windows provides voice-guided controls without needing a virtual assistant. Users should explore built-in settings to find the best speech recognition options for their needs.
The Future of Speech Services
Voice assistants are expected to become even more ubiquitous in the coming years, with some forecasts predicting a 143% increase in voice-assistant televisions by 2023 according to https://www.privacypolicies.com/blog/voice-assistants-privacy-issues/. With the proliferation of these devices, managing privacy settings will become increasingly important for consumers.
There are valid concerns around “who is listening” to voice assistant recordings and how that data is used, according to https://www.termsfeed.com/blog/voice-assistants-privacy-issues/. Users should educate themselves on changing default settings, reviewing privacy policies, and limiting the amount of personal information shared with voice assistants.
Another shift is toward on-device speech processing, where voice data is analyzed locally on the device rather than sent to the cloud. This allows for voice commands without sacrificing as much privacy. Major companies like Apple and Google are developing on-device speech recognition to address privacy concerns. The future of speech services involves balancing utility and privacy.