What is the best Android voice control?
Voice assistants have become increasingly common features on Android phones, allowing users to control their device and access information hands-free using voice commands. There are several main options for Android voice assistants:
Google Assistant is Google’s voice assistant that comes pre-installed on many Android phones. It can make calls, send texts, open apps, provide directions, control smart home devices, answer questions, and more using natural language commands.
Samsung Bixby is the proprietary voice assistant developed by Samsung for their Galaxy devices. It has capabilities similar to Google Assistant and can be used to interact with and control Samsung phones.
Amazon Alexa is Amazon’s popular voice assistant that can be installed as an app on Android devices. Users can ask Alexa questions, control smart home devices, play music, set alarms, and more.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is Google’s proprietary virtual assistant created specifically for Android devices. It comes built into Android smartphones like the Pixel and many others. Some of Google Assistant’s key capabilities include voice commands, conversational actions, and routines to automate multiple actions at once [1]. Google Assistant is deeply integrated with other Google services like Search, Maps, Calendar, and more. This integration allows it to provide personalized results and recommendations.
Samsung Bixby
Samsung Bixby is Samsung’s proprietary virtual assistant that comes built into its Galaxy smartphones and tablets. It allows users to control their Samsung devices through voice commands as well as set reminders, search the internet, and access other features.
Bixby can do many basic virtual assistant tasks like setting alarms, opening apps, and making calls. It also has some deeper integrations with Samsung devices to control phone settings and features. However, Bixby currently has a more limited overall feature set compared to assistants like the Google Assistant. Bixby lacks capabilities around general knowledge, deeper conversations, and third-party app integrations.
While Bixby aims to provide a personalized experience tailored for Samsung devices, reviewers cite its voice recognition and more limited capabilities as weaknesses compared to the wider abilities of the Google Assistant. Samsung continues to invest in Bixby and plans to expand its features and capabilities further in the future.
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Alexa is one of the most popular and widely-used voice assistants. Alexa can be installed as an app on Android and iOS devices, allowing users to access its features on smartphones and tablets in addition to Amazon Echo smart speakers.
Some of Alexa’s key capabilities include smart home control, voice shopping, streaming music and audiobooks, getting news/weather/traffic updates, controlling other internet-connected devices, and more. Alexa has a very large library of third-party skills that users can enable to add new functionality – according to this analysis, there are over 80,000 skills available as of early 2021.
The large skill library helps expand what users can do with Alexa. Skills act like mini apps and can provide capabilities ranging from games/trivia to productivity tools and beyond. There are various ways developers can monetize Alexa skills as well.
Other Assistants
In addition to the main voice assistants built into Android, iPhone, and Amazon devices, there are other assistants available via third party apps. These include Cortana from Microsoft, Siri from Apple, and others. These tend to offer more limited functionality compared to native assistants:
Cortana is available on Android devices via a standalone app, after having previously been discontinued in certain regions [1]. However, Microsoft has scaled back support and no longer actively develops Cortana for mobile platforms [2]. As a result, the functionality is limited compared to platform-native assistants.
Siri is available on Android via the Siri Shortcuts app, but it lacks full integration with the device and OS. It is mainly focused on executing shortcuts. Siri also faces limitations in areas like voice interaction and conversational abilities compared to native Android assistants [3].
In general, these third party assistants have narrower feature sets and less tight integration with Android devices and services. While they can provide some utility through their apps, their functionality is more restricted compared to fully integrated solutions.
Voice Control Comparison
When comparing Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, and Amazon Alexa, there are several factors to consider including features, accuracy, speed, and capabilities.
Google Assistant is widely regarded as having the most natural language processing and contextual awareness. It can understand complex commands and questions, and provide accurate and relevant results. Google Assistant is deeply integrated into Android, allowing quick access and device control. Downsides are that it collects a lot of user data, and capabilities vary across different devices. According to Reddit users, Google Assistant is considered the smartest and most capable option.
Samsung Bixby is deeply integrated into Samsung devices and optimized for their ecosystem. Bixby allows quick access and control of Samsung devices and services. However, Bixby has a more limited knowledge graph compared to Google Assistant and struggles with natural language processing. Bixby is generally not regarded as a very capable assistant outside of Samsung device control.
Amazon Alexa has the most supported devices and third-party integrations. Alexa has strong smart home device support. However, Alexa can sometimes struggle with contextual understanding compared to Google Assistant. Privacy could also be a concern with Alexa. Alexa may be the best option for smart home ecosystems.
In summary, Google Assistant is considered the most advanced in terms of features and capabilities, with deep Android integration. Bixby offers the tightest integration for Samsung devices. And Alexa has the broadest device support and smart home ecosystem.
Use Cases
Voice assistants on Android offer a wide variety of use cases that can make daily tasks quicker and easier. Some of the most popular voice commands and actions include:
Controlling smart home devices – You can use voice commands to turn lights on or off, adjust thermostats, lock doors, and more. For example, you can say “Hey Google, turn on the living room lights” to a Google Assistant-enabled device.
Information search – Get quick answers to questions or have the latest news read aloud by asking your assistant. Say “Alexa, what’s the weather today?” to get a weather report.
Hands-free texting – Dictate and send text messages hands-free to contacts. For instance, “OK Google, text Sarah I’m running 5 minutes late.”
Navigation – Get turn-by-turn directions by voice. You can say “Hi Bixby, navigate me home” to start guidance.
Controlling media playback – Use voice to play music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Commands like “Hey Google, play some upbeat music” work well.
Setting reminders and alarms – Having your assistant set reminders, alarms, and timers means you don’t have to pick up your phone. For example, “Remind me to take out the trash at 8pm.”
Making calls – Place calls to contacts hands-free. You can say “Hey Google, call Mom.”
Checking schedules – Ask your assistant about your calendar events and appointments for the day or week ahead.
In general, voice control on Android allows you to access information and complete tasks without having to touch your smartphone screen. The hands-free convenience makes virtual assistants highly useful in situations like driving, cooking, exercising, or when your hands are full.
Privacy Considerations
One of the main concerns with voice assistants is the privacy of the user data they collect. Voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa, and Bixby are constantly listening for activation keywords in order to respond to voice commands. This means these devices are recording conversations in the background, which raises concerns over how this data is stored and used.
According to the Insider Intelligence report Voice assistants: Definition, Future, Benefits to Marketers, the major voice assistants store recordings and transcriptions of users’ voice data on remote servers. The report cites voice assistant privacy concerns around how secure this data is, whether it could be hacked, and how it may be used by the parent companies.
To provide some control over privacy, the leading voice assistants allow users to view and delete voice data that has been collected. For example, Amazon Alexa owners can visit the Alexa Privacy hub to listen to and delete previous voice recordings. Controlling privacy settings is an important way users can manage their personal data collected by smart assistants.
Accessibility
Voice assistants provide significant benefits for blind users or those with limited mobility. By enabling hands-free control of smartphones and other devices solely through voice commands, voice assistants greatly improve accessibility.
All the major voice assistants have built-in accessibility features. For example, Google Assistant integrates with Android’s TalkBack screen reader to read out content on the screen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZuGzuuM8dQ). Bixby and Alexa also offer voice control capabilities to navigate apps and read text. Voice assistants can be used to dictate messages or emails, set reminders and alarms, make calls, listen to music, hear notifications, control smart home devices, and more through only verbal commands.
In addition, voice assistant settings allow users to adjust speech rate, volume, pitch, and activate captions. Voice assistants continue to add more accessibility features to enable those with disabilities to take advantage of hands-free voice control.
Conclusion
There are many options when it comes to Android voice control through virtual assistants. The most popular and advanced are Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby, and Amazon Alexa. Each has their strengths and weaknesses.
Google Assistant is the most full-featured and capable, with deep integration into Android and the Google ecosystem. It offers the most natural conversational abilities and broadest knowledge base. However, privacy concerns exist around Google’s data collection practices.
Samsung Bixby is deeply integrated into Samsung devices but more limited beyond them. It excels at device control but lacks capabilities versus Google Assistant or Alexa. Amazon Alexa brings the benefits of its massive knowledge base and skills platform but has less robust mobile integration.
For most Android users, Google Assistant stands out as the best overall option for voice control due to its intelligent agent, seamless device integration, and continually expanding features. Bixby makes sense for Samsung loyalists, while Alexa may appeal to those already invested in Amazon’s ecosystem. But Google Assistant is hard to beat for an exceptional voice experience on Android.
