How do I voice activate my text messages?
Voice activated text messaging allows users to compose and send text messages using only their voice, without having to type on a phone keyboard. This hands-free functionality enables users to text while doing other activities like driving, cooking, exercising, etc. Voice activated messaging is useful because it allows people to communicate via text safely in situations where they cannot physically type out messages. It reduces distractions and the need to look at a screen while doing something else.
Major virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Bixby support voice activated messaging, utilizing speech recognition to transcribe the user’s spoken words into a text message. The user can speak naturally as if dictating to another person. The virtual assistant will send the message to the specified recipient. This technology allows text messaging to be quick, easy, and accessible without directly interacting with the device.
Prerequisites
To voice activate text messages on your smartphone, you first need to have a compatible device. Most modern smartphones come with a built-in voice assistant that can be enabled and used for hands-free messaging. Some examples of popular voice assistant platforms include Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, and Samsung Bixby.
Make sure your smartphone has the voice assistant feature enabled and set up. You’ll need to activate it in your device settings or app menu. Refer to your phone’s user manual for exact instructions. The main voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa are generally enabled by default on compatible devices.
Next, you should link your smartphone contacts to the voice assistant app. Grant permissions so it can access your contacts list when composing messages by voice. The voice assistant needs to be able to identify recipients by name.
Lastly, check your internet connection. You’ll need a stable WiFi or mobile data connection for the voice commands to be transmitted to servers for processing. Using voice commands requires online access.
Activate Voice Assistant
To start using your voice assistant for text messages, you first need to make sure it is enabled and configured properly. Here are the steps:
1. Open Your Phone’s Settings App
On an iPhone, open the Settings app. On an Android device, open the Settings app or Google Settings app depending on your device.
2. Navigate to Voice Assistant Settings
On iPhone, go to Siri & Search. On Android, find Google Assistant or Bixby settings.
3. Enable Full Voice Assistant Access
Make sure the voice assistant has full access and can be activated at any time by voice command. On iPhone, ensure “Listen for ‘Hey Siri'” is enabled. On Android, make sure voice activation is turned on for Google Assistant/Bixby.
Once you have enabled full voice assistant capabilities, you’ll be ready to start using voice commands for texting.
Link Contacts
To use voice commands for sending messages to your contacts, you first need to allow the voice assistant access to your contacts list. This allows the assistant to recognize contact names when you dictate messages.
On Android phones, you can manage app permissions for the Google Assistant in the device settings. Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > App Permissions > Contacts. Ensure the toggle is enabled for the Google app. You can also grant access during initial setup of the Google Assistant.
For Samsung devices using Bixby, go to Settings > Apps > Choose app > Permissions and enable Contacts. This source provides more details on allowing the voice assistant access to contacts.
Once contact access is enabled, the assistant will be able to recognize and call your contacts using voice commands. Try saying “Text John Smith” or “Call mom” to test it out.
Compose New Message
To start composing a new text message by voice, first make sure you have a voice assistant enabled on your Android device such as Google Assistant or Bixby. Then say a command like “Ok Google, send a text message” or “Hi Bixby, send a text”.
This will launch the voice assistant in text messaging mode ready for you to dictate your message. At the prompt, speak the name of the contact you want to message. Say something like “John Doe” to select the recipient from your contacts.
After specifying the recipient, simply dictate your desired message naturally speaking out loud. Say “comma” or “period” to insert punctuation. When finished, say a command like “Send message” or “Send text” to send the message.
Your voice assistant will confirm the transcribed message before sending to the selected contact. You can also say “Read back” or “Repeat” to have the assistant read the message back to you.
This allows composing and sending text messages completely hands-free using only your voice on Android devices. With some practice, it can be very quick and convenient.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQuestions/comments/lyo08j/send_text_voice_command/
Specify Recipient
After initiating a voice text message, you will need to specify the recipient. Simply say the name of the desired recipient after your voice assistant’s compose message command.
For example, if using Siri, you would say “Hey Siri, compose a message to John Doe.” Siri would then open a new message screen with John Doe already populated as the recipient.
On an Android phone with Google Assistant, you may say “Hey Google, send a text message to Jane Smith.” Google Assistant will prepare a new text message draft with Jane Smith set as the recipient.
So the key is to state the full name of your desired recipient immediately after telling your voice assistant to compose or create a new text message. All major voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby, and Alexa allow you to easily specify recipients this way.
Dictate Message
Once you have specified the recipient, you can clearly dictate your message after the beep. For iOS users, you can say “Hey Siri, send a text message to [contact name]” and then proceed to speak your message after the beep. Android users can say “OK Google, send [contact name] a text message” and then speak the message. Sources vary on the exact phrasing to use, but the key is to clearly specify the recipient before dictating your message after the audio prompt.
This Mac forum discusses exact phrasing to dictate messages on iOS. For Android, this app page highlights using clear speech and specifying the recipient first. Regardless of platform, speaking slowly and clearly after the beep/prompt is crucial to accurately dictate your text message.
Review and Send
Before sending your voice message, it’s important to review it and make sure everything is correct. Voice assistants like Google Assistant will transcribe your spoken words into a text message, but the transcription may not always be 100% accurate.
After you finish dictating your message, say “Review message” or “Read back message.” Your voice assistant will read the transcribed message aloud. Carefully listen to the entire message to confirm that your words were transcribed correctly. If you notice any errors, you can say “Edit message” to make corrections.
According to a Reddit user, sometimes the voice assistant will keep a message in the submission queue after transcribing it [1]. So you may need to manually submit or send the message after reviewing it. Say “Send message” or tap the send icon once you’ve verified the accuracy and are ready to send it.
Reviewing your dictated text messages before sending is an important step to avoid potentially embarrassing errors. Taking the time to confirm accuracy can prevent messages being sent with the wrong information.
Troubleshooting
If you run into issues using voice activation for text messaging, here are some common problems and solutions:
Can’t activate voice assistant – Make sure you have enabled voice activation in your phone’s settings and granted the necessary permissions. Double check that your phone and operating system support voice activation. Refer to your phone’s user manual if needed.
Voice assistant not understanding commands – Speak slowly and clearly in a quiet environment. Make sure your contacts have recognizable names. You may need to re-record your voice sample so the assistant can better recognize your speech patterns.
Messages being sent to wrong contact – Be very clear when specifying the contact name. Separate first and last names instead of saying the full name. Check that your contacts do not have duplicate entries.
Text errors in transcribed message – Proofread your message before sending. You can ask the voice assistant to restate the message to confirm accuracy. Improper punctuation can also cause transcription issues.
General troubleshooting tips include restarting your phone, ensuring software is up-to-date, and checking for issues reported by others for your phone model. Refer to your voice assistant’s help documentation for other troubleshooting suggestions. If issues persist, you may need to reset the voice assistant or contact technical support.
Conclusion
To summarize, voice activating messages can be an incredibly helpful tool for anyone seeking an effortless option for staying in touch. With a few simple steps, you can enable your voice assistant and link your contacts to send messages and texts instantly via voice commands. This saves the time and hassle of typing on a small keyboard. Once set up, basic voice commands like “Send a message to Mom” or “Tell John “pick up milk” are all you need to send texts hands-free. Take the time to try out other voice messaging commands to experience more benefits and efficiency in daily communications.
Other suggested voice commands to try for texting include:
- “Read my latest message from [contact name]”
- “Reply to [contact name’s] last message with [dictated message]”
- “Send a voice message to [contact name]”
- “Check for new messages”
- “Forward [contact name]’s last message to [other contact name]”