Get started with Voice Access spoken commands

The Voice Access app for Android lets you control your device with spoken commands. Use your voice to open apps, navigate, and edit text hands-free.

Step 1: Check your device and settings

Important: You can use Voice Access in English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Portuguese, or Japanese.

Before you install Voice Access, check your device and settings. Learn how to check your device and settings.

Step 2: Download Voice Access

Download Voice Access from Google Play.

Step 3: Use Voice Access

Version 17.0 or higher

To turn on Voice Access:
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access.
3. Turn on Voice Access shortcut.
  - This automatically enables the floating Voice Access shortcut button . This button controls Voice Access listening. To start or stop listening, tap this button.
  - To customize the shortcut, on the left of the “Voice Access shortcut” toggle, tap Voice Access shortcut.
    - Choose between floating accessibility button (default), navigation bar accessibility button, volume keys, and accessibility gesture. Learn how to use accessibility shortcuts.
  - If you don’t want a visual shortcut, use volume keys as your shortcut. On versions 17.0 and above, to use Voice Access, you must use a shortcut. If you remove the shortcut, Voice Access is turned off.
To start Voice Access listening: You can:
- Tap the floating Voice Access shortcut button or your preferred shortcut.
- If "Hey Google" detection is on, say "Hey Google, start Voice Access."
- On your notification tray:
  1. Scroll to the Voice Access notification.
  2. Tap Touch to start.
- On your Home screen, open Voice Access app .
- You can also configure a physical key or switch for your Voice Access activation key in the settings:
  1. Open your device's Settings app.
  2. Tap Voice Access Settings Setup.
  3. Tap Configure activation key.
To use Voice Access: Say a command, like “Open Gmail.”
- Learn how to use Voice Access commands.
To pause Voice Access listening: You can:
- Say “Stop listening.”
- Tap the floating Voice Access shortcut button or your customized shortcut.
- On the “Voice Access” notification, tap Tap to pause.
- Use your physical activation key or switch, if configured.
To turn off Voice Access:
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access.
3. Turn off the Voice Access shortcut toggle.

Tip: To hide a visible shortcut, use the volume keys as your chosen shortcut. You don’t have to use this shortcut and can continue to use Gemini to turn Voice Access on or off.

Version below 17.0

To turn on Voice Access:
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access.
3. Turn on Use Voice Access.
4. Optional: Turn on the Voice Access shortcut toggle.
  - This shortcut controls how to turn the Voice Access service on and off. It doesn’t control Voice Access listening.
To start Voice Access listening: You can:
- If you’ve enabled it, use the Activation button .
  - For versions below 17.0, this shortcut turns Voice Access service on or off. It doesn’t control listening.
  - From version 17.0, this button has been removed.
- If "Hey Google" detection is on, say "Hey Google, start Voice Access."
- On your notification tray:
  1. Scroll to the Voice Access notification.
  2. Tap Touch to start.
- On your Home screen, tap Voice Access app .
- You can also configure a physical key or switch for your Voice Access activation key in the settings:
  1. Open your device's Settings app.
  2. Tap Voice Access Settings Setup.
  3. Tap Configure activation key.
To use Voice Access: Say a command, like “Open Gmail.”
- Learn how to use Voice Access commands.
To pause Voice Access listening: You can:
- If you’ve enabled it, use the Activation button .
  - From version 17.0, this button has been removed.
- Say “Stop listening.”
- On the “Voice Access” notification, tap Tap to pause.
- Use your physical activation key or switch, if configured.
To turn off Voice Access:
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access.
3. Turn off Use Voice Access.

The first time you turn on Voice Access, two extra steps help you get started:

A guide to "Hey Google" settings helps set you up for a good hands-free experience.
An interactive tutorial teaches you how Voice Access works.

Optional: Other ways to start Voice Access

After you turn on Voice Access in Settings, you can start Voice Access in several ways, depending on your device and settings.

Activate on lock screen: When you lock your device, Voice Access stops listening. To control how Voice Access works when your screen is locked, change your settings.
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access Settings.
3. Tap Listening behavior on screen wake up.
4. Choose an option:
  - Always start listening
  - Start listening unless previously asked to stop
  - Never start listening
- To turn the microphone back on from the lock screen, say “Hey Google, start Voice Access.” This only works for Gemini. If this doesn’t work, unlock your device and use your chosen shortcut or notification.
Activation button: To display the Voice Access button on your screen all the time, in “Voice Access” settings, turn on the Activation button.
- To start Voice Access, tap the button anytime.
- To move the button on your screen, touch and hold, then drag it to the new position.
- The Activation button has been removed in version 17.0.
Activation key: You can use a physical key, such as a keyboard key or Bluetooth switch, to start and stop Voice Access. To set up an activation key:
1. Connect your keyboard or switch to your device:
  - Bluetooth: Go to your Android device settings, then choose Bluetooth to pair the keyboard or switch with your Android device. For more instructions, check the documentation for your switch or keyboard, or learn more about connecting to Bluetooth devices.
  - USB: Use a USB cable to connect the keyboard or switch to your Android device
2. Go to Voice Access Settings, then select Configure activation key.Here you can choose the following settings:
  - Assigned key: Press the key or switch that you want to use to start and stop Voice Access.
  - Behavior: Choose how you'd like to use your key or switch, The default setting is to tap to start Voice Access, then tap again to stop. You can also choose to press and hold to start Voice Access, then release to stop.
Keyboard shortcut: To turn on Voice Access for a device with an attached physical keyboard, on your keyboard, press Action + Alt + v.
- When you enter the keyboard shortcut for the first time, a confirmation dialog appears to accept or reject the keyboard shortcut. When you enable the shortcut, you can press it again to turn on Voice Access.
- You can complete quick actions, like accessing system menus or performing platform specific shortcuts, through the Action key. This can vary based on the keyboard:
  - Windows keyboard: Use the Windows key.
  - Mac keyboard: Use the Command key ⌘.

Check your device & settings

Before you use Voice Access, check your device and settings:

Required

Notification permission: To start and pause listening, allow Voice Access to show the silent notification.
Microphone permission and data usage: To use your microphone, Voice Access requires permission so it can hear and execute your spoken commands.
- Why it’s required: The microphone listens for your voice only when Voice Access is active, which is indicated by the blue listening dots on your screen. On devices with Android version 12 or later, on the status bar, you can also find a green microphone indicator.
  - To turn off the microphone temporarily, say “Stop listening.”
- How audio is used: To recognize commands, Voice Access processes your speech.
  - The audio is primarily processed on your device but depending on its configuration and system language, audio is sent to Google servers for processing.
  - When the audio is sent to Google, it isn’t saved. It’s used only to provide the service.
  - Audio and transcripts aren't stored unless you explicitly turn on the "Help improve Voice Access Commands" setting.
- Security: You can use Voice Access to listen for commands, not your specific voice. If your device is awake and unlocked, anyone can control it with their voice.
- For more details on how Google handles your data, learn more about the Google Privacy Policy.

Recommended

Voice Search: Enable "Hey Google" detection from any screen. Learn how to turn on "Hey Google".
Offline speech recognition: For Voice Access to work without a network connection, you need to download language packs for offline speech recognition. These steps are for Android versions 13 and newer. For alternative offline speech recognition setup, find the older Android versions.
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Navigate to System Language & region Speech.
3. Select On-device recognition Add a language.
4. Choose the language you want to download for offline speech recognition.
Phone call settings:
- You can customize how Voice Access works with phone calls.
  1. Open your device's Settings app.
  2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access Settings.
  3. Tap Activation.
  4. Customize your settings.
    - Activate for incoming calls: When your phone rings, Voice Access automatically starts. To answer or decline the call, you can use your voice. This setting is on by default.
    - Active during calls: You can also set up Voice Access so that it stays on while you’re in a call. The caller can hear your commands. This setting is off by default.
- Learn how to change Voice Access settings.

Older Android versions

For older Android versions, you need:

Language settings: For the commands to work, both the device and Gemini or Google Assistant should be in the same language as Voice Access.
Google app: To make sure you have the latest version, in Google Play Store , download or update the Google app.
Offline speech recognition: For offline speech recognition, make sure you download a language.
1. Open your device's Settings app.
2. Tap Voice.
  - Learn how to change your Google app settings.
  - Or, you can use the Gemini mobile app.

Get more help

For more Accessibility help, contact the Disability Support team.