Voice Access

Google LLC

About this app

Voice Access helps anyone who has difficulty manipulating a touch screen (e.g. due to paralysis, tremor, or temporary injury) use their Android device by voice.

Voice Access provides many voice commands for:
- Basic navigation (e.g. "go back", "go home", "open Gmail")
- Controlling the current screen (e.g. "tap next", "scroll down")
- Text editing and dictation (e.g. "type hello", "replace coffee with tea")

You can also say "Help" any time to see a short list of commands.

Voice Access includes a tutorial which introduces the most common voice commands (starting Voice Access, tapping, scrolling, basic text editing, and getting help).

You can use the Google Assistant to start Voice Access by saying "Hey Google, Voice Access". To do this, you’ll need to enable "Hey Google" detection. You can also tap either the Voice Access notification or a blue Voice Access button and start talking.

To pause Voice Access temporarily, just say "stop listening". To disable Voice Access completely, go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Access and turn off the switch.

For additional support, see Voice Access help.

This app uses the AccessibilityService API to help users with motor impairments. It uses the API to collect information about the controls on the screen and activate them based on the user’s spoken instructions.

Ratings and reviews

Although a good idea, and it often works well, it is not without it's glitches. One I find most annoying is: Often, when I give a command, it has the irritating habit of repeating it. For example, if I say "go back", it will often go back two screens, rather than the desired one. And when typing by voice, if I dictate, e.g., "For example", it will type it twice. And when, after saying "show numbers", I select a number, it will select it twice in succession, taking me to an unwanted place.

More bloatware! Seriously, you do know this isn't operating software? What gives you the right to push this on a device you don't pay for? Phones aren't cheap and personally I think you should be sued for pushing apps that aren't part of personal software and taking up space on devices that are already limited. It's not allowed on a computer so why on our phones and tablets? It should be optional to delete for this of us that want nothing to do with it!

So much good, and so much that doesn't work half as well as it could. There's so much missing in apps like Google Messages, which is an area you think Google would be willing to invest to get it right! I don't even mess around with editing text, which is a joke

What’s new

With this update, we continue to make Voice Access more reliable. We've improved system navigation support (like opening the taskbar in tablets), fixed some number label issues, and simplified the phone call initiation process (no more exact contact names needed!). Plus, enjoy better text editing, including selection and input.