You can control your phone with your voice primarily by using built-in voice assistants or dedicated accessibility features.
Controlling your smartphone using voice commands offers convenience, especially when your hands are busy or for individuals with mobility impairments. Modern phones come equipped with powerful tools designed specifically for this purpose.
There are generally two main ways to use your voice to control your phone:
- Using a Voice Assistant: This involves speaking commands to initiate actions like making calls, sending texts, setting alarms, playing music, opening apps, and searching the web. Popular examples include Google Assistant on Android and Siri on iOS.
- Using Accessibility Features (Voice Control): These are more advanced systems that allow you to navigate your phone's interface, tap buttons, scroll, type, and interact with almost any element on the screen using only your voice.
Enabling Voice Control on Android
Android phones have a powerful feature called Voice Access that allows you to control your device with spoken commands. Based on the provided reference, here are the general steps to turn it on:
- Open your phone's Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
- Look for and tap on Interaction controls or a similar category (the reference mentions "Interaction and dexterity").
- Find and select Voice Access.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set it up, which may include downloading necessary files and granting permissions.
Once enabled, you can activate Voice Access by saying a command like "Hey Google, open Voice Access" or by using a persistent notification or shortcut if configured during setup.
With Voice Access active, you can speak commands like:
- "Open [App Name]"
- "Go back"
- "Go home"
- "Scroll down" or "Scroll up"
- "Tap [Item Name or Number]" (numbers appear on screen elements when Voice Access is active)
- "Type [Message]"
- "Delete word"
Voice Control on iOS
iPhone users can utilize the built-in Voice Control feature. To enable it:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Accessibility.
- Tap Voice Control.
- Tap Set Up Voice Control and follow the instructions.
Similar to Android's Voice Access, iOS Voice Control allows granular control over the device interface using commands.
Using Voice Assistants
For simpler tasks, you can rely on voice assistants:
- Google Assistant (Android & iOS): Say "Hey Google" followed by a command.
- Siri (iOS): Say "Hey Siri" followed by a command.
These assistants are excellent for quick actions but don't offer the same level of interface control as dedicated accessibility features like Voice Access or Voice Control.
Understanding the difference between using a voice assistant for commands and using accessibility-focused voice control for interface navigation is key to effectively controlling your phone with your voice.
