How to do voice to text on Android messages?

Voice to text, also known as speech to text, is a technology that allows users to dictate speech which is then transcribed into text. This can be extremely useful for messaging on Android devices as it provides a hands-free way to compose and send messages.

Instead of having to use the on-screen keyboard to tediously type out each word, voice to text allows you to simply speak out loud and have your speech automatically converted into text. This is much faster than texting manually. It’s also convenient for situations where you can’t easily type, like when driving or your hands are occupied.

Voice to text makes messaging on Android devices more efficient, accessible, and flexible. With just your voice, you can quickly compose messages without having to put your activity on hold to type things out on a tiny touchscreen keyboard. It’s an easy way to integrate hands-free messaging into your daily mobile communication.

Prerequisites

To use voice typing in Android messages, your device and messaging app need to meet a few requirements:

Your Android device needs to be running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or later. Voice typing is built into the Android operating system starting with Jelly Bean. Older versions do not support voice typing.
Your default messaging app needs to support voice typing. The default Messages app included on most Android phones supports voice typing. Third party messaging apps may or may not support it.

Your device language needs to be set to English US. Voice typing is optimized for American English pronunciation and spellings.

As long as your device meets these prerequisites, you should be able to use voice typing in the default Messages app and most other apps that involve typing text. If using a third party messaging app, check its feature list to confirm voice typing support.

Enable Voice Typing

To enable voice typing on your Android device, first open the Settings app and select System > Languages & input > On-screen keyboard > Gboard.

Tap Voice typing and make sure it is enabled. This allows you to use voice typing within Gboard.

You can also enable voice typing directly from Gboard by tapping the microphone icon on the keyboard. Tap “Voice typing” and toggle it on.

Some Android devices may prompt you to give the keyboard permission to access the microphone when you first try to enable voice typing. Make sure to allow microphone access for voice input to work.

Once enabled, you can tap the microphone icon on Gboard and start speaking to enter text by voice on your Android device (cite source).

Use Voice Typing in Messages

To use voice typing in the Android Messages app:

Open the Messages app and tap on a text field to bring up the keyboard. Tap the microphone icon on the on-screen keyboard to activate voice typing. Once the microphone appears, you can start speaking your message. The phone will transcribe your speech into text in real-time.

Speak clearly and naturally to dictate your message. Say “comma,” “period,” or “question mark” to automatically insert punctuation. You can also say commands like “new line” or “new paragraph” to format your text. When finished speaking, tap “send” or the arrow icon to send the message.

The voice typing feature allows you to compose text messages completely hands-free using your voice. It can be quicker and more convenient than typing, especially on mobile. With some practice, you can carry on conversations and dictate longer messages by voice.

For more usage tips, check out Google’s guide on using voice typing on Android.

Dictation Tips

When using voice typing in Android messages, speaking clearly and precisely will help ensure accuracy and reduce errors. Here are some tips for getting the best results:

Speak at a natural pace and volume in a clear voice. Avoid mumbling or trailing off at the end of sentences. Pronounce words carefully without slurring or running words together.

Reduce background noise as much as possible. Find a quiet environment or use noise-cancelling headphones. Background conversations, music, or other sounds can interfere with accuracy.

Consider your accent and try to enunciate more clearly if the voice recognition has difficulty understanding you. Regional accents and dialects can sometimes impede accuracy.

Take pauses between sentences and paragraphs. This allows the voice recognition to finalize each section before moving on.

Avoid starting to speak again too soon after finishing a sentence. Give the phone a second to process before continuing.

Speak at a steady, reasonable pace. Talking too fast can reduce accuracy, but talking too slow can as well.

Pronounce words carefully and avoid mumbling, yelling, or whispering which may be interpreted incorrectly.

If you make a mistake, back up and correct yourself. Say something like “scratch that” or “delete the last sentence” to edit as you go.

With practice over time, the voice recognition will adapt to your voice and mannerisms for improved dictation.

Punctuation and Commands

Gboard allows you to dictate punctuation and commands to have them inserted automatically as you speak. Here are some common punctuation marks and commands:

To insert a period, say “period.”

To start a new line, say “new line.”

To insert a comma, say “comma.”

To insert a question mark, say “question mark.”

To insert an exclamation point, say “exclamation point” or “exclamation mark.”

To insert an emoji, say “emoji” and then the name of the emoji you want.

To insert a hyphen or dash, say “hyphen.”

To open parentheses, say “open paren” and to close, say “close paren.”

To send the message, say “send message” or “send.”

You can also replace or delete a whole word by saying “delete that” or “replace [word] with [new word].”

The speech recognition will automatically capitalize the first word of a new sentence. You can also say “caps on” or “caps off” to change capitalization.

Refer to Google’s support page for a full list of available punctuation commands.

Editing Voice Typed Text

One of the great things about using voice typing on Android is the ability to easily edit any mistakes or make changes to the voice typed text. Here are some tips for fixing mistakes and editing voice typed text from the Gboard Help article:

“To make corrections, touch and hold a word to see suggestions. You can also use the backspace key to delete words.”¹ Deleting words or whole phrases is as simple as using the backspace on your keyboard.

“To replace a word, touch and hold it, then choose another suggestion.”¹ If the voice recognition misinterpreted a word, you can simply touch and hold to see other options.

“To insert new text, tap anywhere in the sentence and type or dictate more words.”¹ You can seamlessly add to voice typed sentences by tapping and inserting text or dictating.

In addition to the basic editing options above, voice typed text can also be edited just like regular typed text – by selecting, cutting, copying and pasting. With a few simple taps, whole sections can be moved around or deleted.

Customizing Voice Typing

You can customize certain settings for Voice Typing to better suit your preferences and usage. Here are some of the customizations you can make:

Changing Language

Voice Typing automatically detects the primary language set on your Android device. To change the speech recognition language in Voice Typing:

Open the Gboard app settings
Tap “Languages”
Select the language you want Voice Typing to use

This will change the language Voice Typing listens and transcribes in. You can add multiple languages and quickly switch between them when using Voice Typing.

Offline Mode

To enable offline Voice Typing when you have no internet connection:

Go to Gboard Settings > Voice Typing

Toggle on “Offline speech recognition”

This will allow Voice Typing to work without an internet connection, but functionality may be more limited.

Deleting Voice Data

If you want Voice Typing to forget your voice data:

Go to Gboard Settings > Voice Typing > Delete voice data

This will erase any stored voice data used to improve transcription accuracy. Voice Typing will have to relearn your voice patterns.

Troubleshooting

Encountering issues with Android voice typing is common but there are several troubleshooting steps you can try. Here are some of the most common problems and potential solutions:

Voice typing not working at all – Go to your phone’s Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps > Find Google app or Gboard app > Storage & cache > Clear storage and Clear cache. Then restart your phone and try again. [1]

Error message “No permission to enable voice typing” – Open Settings > Apps & notifications > App permissions > Microphone and make sure the Messaging app has permission to use the microphone. You may need to manually enable it. [2]

Voice typing stops mid-sentence – Check your network connection. Voice typing requires an internet connection to function. Move to an area with better WiFi or mobile data.

Transcription is inaccurate – Go to Gboard settings > Voice typing and toggle Enhanced voice typing on. This will improve transcription quality but may share some audio data.

Slow or laggy voice typing – Close unused apps running in the background that may be using system resources. Or try rebooting your phone if the issue persists.

If you continue having issues, check for Android and app updates. You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling the Google app or Gboard as a last resort.

[1] https://speaking.email/FAQ/87/android-system-settings-for-speech-and-voice-recognition
[2] https://www.makeuseof.com/no-permission-to-enable-voice-typing-android/

Conclusion

Using voice typing to send messages on Android devices can be an efficient and convenient way to communicate. By enabling voice typing in your device settings and messaging apps, you can dictate your messages instead of typing them. When composing a voice typed message, speak clearly and naturally, verbalize punctuation, and use editing commands to make corrections. With some practice, voice typing can save you time and effort when messaging on your Android phone or tablet.

In summary, voice typing for Android messages simply requires going into your device settings, enabling voice typing capabilities, opening your messaging app, tapping the microphone icon, and dictating your message. Speak punctuation marks out loud to insert them and use commands like “select,” “delete,” or “replace” for editing. While there is a learning curve in mastering voice typing, once you get the hang of it, it can be a faster way to send detailed messages without typing them. Give voice typing a try if you want a convenient hands-free way to compose messages on your Android device.