Why does my Google Assistant Voice keep changing?
Google Assistant is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant developed by Google. It is available on various Google and third-party devices and can understand natural language voice commands to provide information, play media, set reminders, control smart home devices, and more.
One common phenomenon that Google Assistant users experience is the voice changing unexpectedly. You may be used to your Google Assistant having a certain default voice, only to suddenly find it has changed to a new voice with a different tone and cadence. This can happen across various devices from phones to smart speakers, and often seems to occur automatically without the user actively changing any settings.
Default Voice Settings
Google Assistant uses certain default voices based on your device’s language and region settings. For example, if your phone is set to English (United States), the default voice will be a female American English voice. If your device is set to Spanish (Mexico), the default will be a female Mexican Spanish voice. Google aims to provide a natural experience by having Assistant speak in an appropriate voice for your location by default.
According to Google’s support article, the available default voices depend on your device language and region. So a user in the UK will have different options for English voices than a user in Australia or Canada. Google decides which voices to use by default based on your device’s settings.
Voice Preferences
Users can set preferred voices for their Google Assistant in the Assistant settings. To access the settings, say “Hey Google, open Assistant settings” on an Android device. Under “All Settings,” tap “Assistant voice” to view and select available voices.
Google offers a range of voices in different languages, accents and genders for the Assistant. Users can choose their preferred voice based on attributes like gender, language, accent, pitch, speed and intonation. For example, someone may prefer a female voice with a British English accent versus a male voice with an American English accent.
The Assistant voices aim to sound natural, with expressive inflection and personality. Google continues developing new voices using advanced text-to-speech technology. Users are encouraged to explore different voices to find the one they like best.
Once a preferred voice is selected in the settings, that voice will be used for interactions with the Assistant across services and devices linked to the same Google account. This allows for a personalized and consistent experience.
References:
[1] https://support.google.com/assistant/answer/7544506?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
Automatic Voice Changes
There are some cases where the Google Assistant voice may change automatically without any user input. This typically happens due to automatic updates pushed out by Google.
One common trigger is when Google rolls out an update to the Assistant in a particular region or country. For example, when the Assistant was first launched in a new language or location, users may find the voice suddenly changes to a regional voice tailored for that area without any action on their end [1].
Another instance is when Google makes backend improvements or changes to their text-to-speech voice models on their servers. Since the Assistant voices are generated server-side, any updates can inadvertently alter the voices slightly for some users [2]. These changes are often subtle, but can be noticeable.
In summary, Google does periodically roll out automatic server-side changes intended to improve voice quality and localization that may unintentionally modify the Assistant’s voice model for some users.
Regional Releases
One reason why the Google Assistant voice may change is that Google rolls out new voices in certain regions first. For example, in September 2019, Google launched new voices for the Assistant in 9 countries, including India, Japan, and Brazil [1].
When Google introduces new regional voices, users in those areas may notice their Assistant’s voice automatically updating. Google staggers its voice releases geographically, so not all users experience voice changes at once. If you live in an initial launch region for a new voice, your Assistant is more likely to update on its own.
Server-Side Changes
One reason the Google Assistant voice may change is due to backend updates made by Google. The Assistant voice is generated on Google’s servers using text-to-speech technology. Google occasionally releases new voice models and synthesizers to improve the naturalness and accuracy of the Assistant’s speech.
When Google rolls out a voice update on their servers, users may notice their Assistant suddenly sounding different. This typically occurs during major version releases or regional expansions. For example, when the Assistant was first launched in a new country, users in that region may have noticed the voice change from the default to a local voice.
There can also be minor voice tweaks that occur without warning. Google likely makes ongoing improvements to the voice models. So even without a new version update, users may hear subtle vocal changes over time.
Unfortunately there is no way for users to opt out of server-side voice changes. The Assistant voice is controlled entirely by Google, so users cannot revert to a previous voice model. The only option is to provide feedback to Google in hopes they will address concerns about voice changes in future releases.
Sources:
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/googlehome/comments/9b9qqf/why_is_my_google_home_suddenly_speaking_with_an/
Fixing Voice Changes
If your Google Assistant voice has changed unexpectedly, here are some steps you can take to change it back:
On Android devices, open the Google Assistant settings and go to “Assistant voice” under “All settings.” From here, you can select your preferred voice.
As noted in Google’s support documentation, this is the main way to adjust the Assistant voice on Android.
On iPhones and other iOS devices, unfortunately there is no setting to directly change the Assistant voice. As indicated in this Google support thread, the Assistant voice is determined by the device’s default language and region, which can sometimes change during iOS updates.
If you are unable to select a specific Assistant voice on iOS, try changing your device’s default language and region back to your preferred setting. This may reset the Assistant voice.
As a last resort, you can uninstall and reinstall the Google Assistant app on either Android or iOS. When re-enabling the Assistant, it may default back to your original voice.
Preventing Voice Changes
If you want to prevent Google Assistant from automatically changing voices on you, there are a few settings tweaks you can make:
Turn off “Default Assistant”: You can go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Default apps > Assist & voice input, and select “None” as your default assistant app. This will stop the Google Assistant from being invoked automatically.
Turn off “Hey Google” Activation: Go to Google Assistant Settings > Voice Match and turn off “Hey Google” voice activation. This prevents the Assistant from being invoked by voice commands.
Disable Google App Permissions: Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Google > Permissions manager and disable permissions like Microphone access. This will limit what Google Assistant can access/control.
With these simple tweaks, you can prevent unwanted voice changes and disable automatic invoking in the future. Just be aware you may lose some Google Assistant functionality.
Google’s Explanations
Google has provided some explanations for why the Google Assistant voice may change on users’ devices. According to this Google support article, voice changes can occur when Google rolls out updates in different regions. For example, an American English voice may change to a British English voice if a user’s device receives a UK-specific update.
Additionally, server-side changes can trigger voice shifts as Google tweaks speech recognition and synthetic speech models. As noted in this Help Center article, users may notice subtle voice alterations due to ongoing quality and consistency improvements by Google.
In summary, Google has indicated that automatic voice changes result from regional device updates and back-end speech model optimizations. While frustrating for some users, Google likely views these voice tweaks as progress toward more natural, contextually-appropriate Assistant interactions.
The Future of Assistant Voices
Based on Google’s mission to provide the most useful, helpful, and friendly experience with Assistant, the company will likely continue improving and expanding the options for voices. In a January 2024 blog post, Google announced changes focused on “improving quality and reliability” of Assistant. While this may result in decreased support for some lesser used features, Google remains focused on enhancing Assistant’s core abilities related to understanding users and engaging in intelligent conversations.
Google has also hinted at plans for more personalized voices by combining information from user profiles with AI to create an experience unique for each user. The merging of Assistant with Bard is an example of this. With advancements in AI, users could see more voice variety and options as Google leverages technology to automatically generate new voices on demand in the future.
While third-party celebrity voice packs have not been announced recently, it’s possible Google will pursue more partnerships to diversify options. However, improving the AI itself remains the priority according to Google’s public statements. This means users can expect a continued evolution in how natural, human-sounding, and personalized the voices become over time based on each individual’s usage and preferences.