How do you use voice gestures on Android?

Voice gestures allow users to control certain functions of Android devices through spoken commands. This hands-free control can be especially useful for users with limited mobility or visual impairments. Voice gestures leverage speech recognition technology to understand natural language requests and carry out tasks like launching apps, typing text, or interacting with media playback ^[1]. Android integrates voice gestures through services like Voice Access and the Google Assistant. With some configuration, voice gestures can help Android users overcome accessibility barriers and operate their devices more efficiently.

Activating Voice Gestures

To activate voice gestures in Android, first open the Settings app. Then go to the Accessibility section and select “Voice Access.” You’ll see an option to turn on Voice Access – toggle this on. Once enabled, you can choose to have voice commands always listen or require a button press to activate listening. There are also options to customize the activation phrase and speech output.

According to Google’s Voice Access support page, some key settings for configuring Voice Access include:

Choose a wake up command like “Hey Google” to activate voice listening
Select speech output speed and volume
Turn on or off sound feedback for taps and other gestures

Enable spoken hints and control how verbose they are

With Voice Access enabled, you can tap the Voice Access button or say the wake up command to start issuing voice commands. The system provides spoken feedback to confirm it heard you correctly. Overall, the Android settings give you granular control over voice gesture activation and behavior.

Navigating with Voice

You can navigate through Android using just your voice with the Voice Access app. Some key navigation commands include:

Open [app name] – This allows you to open any app by saying its name. For example, “Open Gmail” or “Open Settings.”

Go back – Returns you to the previous screen you were on.

Go home – Brings you back to the home screen.

Recents screen – Opens the recents menu showing your recently used apps.

Notifications – Opens the notification panel.

Quick settings – Opens the quick settings panel.

Switch apps – Brings up the recent apps menu so you can switch between open apps.

Close app – Closes the currently open app.

You can navigate seamlessly between and within apps completely hands-free using these and other voice commands in Voice Access.

Source: Use Voice Access commands

Taking Photos

One of the most useful voice gestures on Android is the ability to take photos hands-free just by saying a command. Many Samsung Galaxy devices have a “Take pictures voice” feature built into the native camera app. To enable it, open the Camera app, tap the Settings icon, select Shooting Methods, and toggle on Voice Control.

Once enabled, you can take a photo at any time just by saying “Cheese”, “Smile”, “Capture”, or “Shoot” while the camera app is open. The phone will snap a picture immediately after the command. This makes it easy to take selfies or group shots without anyone needing to tap the shutter button.

As Pocket-lint notes, the Galaxy S23 line has an improved voice command photo feature that allows you to say “Smile” not only to capture an image, but also to automatically switch between standard and wide-angle selfie cameras.

Some users have reported issues getting voice commands to work reliably, especially with third party camera apps. But overall the native camera apps on recent Galaxy and Pixel phones handle the “Say Cheese” voice triggering very well for hands-free photo capturing.

Answering Calls

One handy feature of Voice Access on Android is the ability to answer or ignore incoming calls completely hands-free using just your voice. When a call comes in, you’ll get a notification on your screen. To answer, simply say “Answer.” To ignore the call, say “Ignore.”

This can be extremely convenient when you can’t physically interact with your phone, like if you’re driving or your hands are full. It’s a simple but powerful feature that allows you to seamlessly handle calls without breaking your flow.

According to this article, you can also answer calls by saying “Hey Google, answer call” if you have Google Assistant enabled on your Android device. The voice command should work whether you’re using headphones or the phone’s built-in microphone.

Overall, the ability to manage incoming calls completely hands-free makes Voice Access an indispensable accessibility tool for anyone who can’t always physically handle their device when a call comes in.

Alarm Snoozing

One handy use of voice gestures on Android is to snooze your morning alarm clock. Many Android phones, including Google’s Pixel line, allow you to say voice commands to snooze an active alarm for a set period of time so you can catch a few more minutes of sleep.

To snooze an alarm with your voice, wait for your alarm to go off as normal. Then simply say a command like “Snooze”, “Snooze for 10 minutes”, or “Stop.” You do not need to preface the command with “Hey Google” or “OK Google.” The phone will recognize the voice command and snooze the alarm.

This feature needs to be enabled on your Android device. On Pixel phones, it is enabled by default. On other Android phones, you may need to turn on voice commands for alarms in your device’s Settings or Clock app. You can also customize the amount of time the alarm snoozes for.

Being able to tell your phone to “Snooze” in the morning, without having to actually touch it or speak to Google Assistant directly, is very convenient. It allows you to quickly get a bit more sleep without fully waking up or fumbling to turn the alarm off.

Sources:

Reddit – Using voice to snooze Pixel alarms

Google Assistant Help – Snoozing alarms

Dictating Text

One useful feature of Android voice gestures is the ability to dictate text hands-free in various apps. This allows you to compose messages, emails, notes, and more just using your voice, without having to type anything out. To dictate text, make sure you have voice input enabled in your keyboard settings and launch the app where you want to enter text. When you’re ready to dictate, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard or say “Ok Google, start dictating”.

Speak naturally and clearly, pausing briefly between sentences and phrases. Say “comma”, “period”, “question mark” etc. for punctuation. You can say “delete that” or “scratch that” to delete words. When done, say “stop dictating” or tap the microphone icon again. The Assistant will convert your speech to text within the app.¹ This makes composing messages on the go quick and easy without typing.

Media Controls

One useful feature of Voice Access on Android is the ability to control media playback using voice commands. For example, you can say “next song” to skip to the next track in your music player, or “pause music” to pause the currently playing audio [1]. This allows you to navigate your media hands-free without having to touch the screen.

Some common media voice commands include:

“Play music” – Starts music playback

“Pause music” – Pauses currently playing music
“Next song” – Skips to next track in playlist
“Previous song” – Goes back to previous track in playlist

“Volume up” – Increases media volume
“Volume down” – Decreases media volume

Voice Access listens for these commands and controls your media playback accordingly when you say them. This makes it easy to navigate music, podcasts, audiobooks and more completely hands-free while on the go, driving, or otherwise occupied [2].

Custom Commands

One of the most useful voice gesture features on Android is the ability to create custom commands tailored to your specific needs. This allows you to set up custom phrases that can trigger actions on your device. According to Google’s support page, you can replace the sample words in brackets with your own commands when setting up custom gestures (https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6151854?hl=en).

To create a custom voice command on Android:

Open the Google app and say “Hey Google, open Assistant settings.”

Select “Custom commands” and tap “+” to add a new command.
Speak your custom phrase when prompted.
Choose the action you want the command to trigger.

Some examples of custom commands include:

“Wake up” to open your alarm app
“Home screen” to go back to your home screen

“Call mom” to call a specific contact

According to an article on Komando.com, you can create up to 30 custom commands to control your Android with your voice (https://www.komando.com/smartphones-gadgets/hidden-voice-command-menu-android/826228/). The key is choosing command phrases that are unique and easy for you to remember. With custom voice commands, you can create customized shortcuts to quickly access your most-used apps and functions hands-free.

Conclusion

In summary, voice gestures provide a convenient hands-free way to control an Android device. Some of the top uses and benefits include:

Making calls hands-free by saying “Call Mom” or “Dial 555-1234”^[1]

Navigating between apps and screens by saying “Go back” or “Go home”^[2]

Taking photos without pressing any buttons by saying “Take a picture”

Snoozing alarms just by speaking

Dictating and editing text through voice commands

Controlling media playback such as music, videos, and podcasts

Creating custom commands tailored to your usage

Voice gestures enable accessing a device and its functions without any physical interaction. This hands-free experience allows users to multitask and access their device conveniently. With practice, voice gestures become an integral part of the Android experience.

[1] https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/turn-on-voice-access-hands-free-android-experience

[2] https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/accessibility/use-your-voice-access-world-new-android-app/