Use Voice Access commands

You can use these commands on any screen.

General commands

• Open [app]
• Open apps
  • Open app drawer.
• Open work [app]
  • Open a work specific version of an app.
• Go back
• Go home
• Show notifications
• Show Quick Settings
• Show recent apps
• Show previous app
• Lock screen
• Turn off device
• Take screenshot
• Again
  • Repeat the last Voice Access action.
• Cancel
  • Cancel the current Voice Access action.
• Circle to Search
• Media Play
• Media Pause

Voice Access help

• What can I say?
• Show all commands
• Open tutorial
• Show numbers
• Hide numbers
• Show labels
• Hide labels
• What is [number]?
• Show commands for [label or number]
• Stop Voice Access
• Send feedback
• Voice Access settings

Settings

• Turn on Bluetooth
• Turn off Bluetooth
• Turn on Wi-Fi
• Turn off Wi-Fi
• Turn up volume
• Turn down volume
• Turn [media/alarm/phone] volume up
• Turn [media/alarm/phone] volume down
• Turn ring volume up
• Turn ring volume down
• Mute
• Silence
• Unmute
• Mute [media/alarm/phone] volume
• Unmute [media/alarm/phone] volume
• Mute ring volume
• Unmute ring volume
• Turn device off

Gemini & Google Assistant

If Gemini or Google Assistant is turned on and listens on your device, you can speak commands like:

• Hey Google, set timer for [amount of time].
• Hey Google, turn on flashlight.
• Hey Google, when was the Empire State Building built?
• Hey Google, who created Google?
• Hey Google, open Voice Access settings.
• Hey Google, start Voice Access.
  • This starts Voice Access listening.
  • This command only works for Gemini and not with Assistant.

Voice Access numbers

To show an overlay of numbers next to everything on your screen that you can interact with, say "Show numbers." If you don't know the name for something, say "Show labels" to see suggestions.

For example, you might see the number 7 next to a Save button, like this: . To select the Save button, you could say any of these commands:

• 7
• Save
• Tap 7
• Tap Save

If two items on your screen have the same text label (such as two "Options" menus), you can say the number instead of the word. Also, if a text label is long or difficult to pronounce, saying the number might be easier.

If you're not sure which item on your screen goes with a number, you can say "What is [number]?" For example, "What is 7?"

Unlock your device & enter passwords

You can use voice to enter your passcode on the lock screen. You can also enter passwords for things like Wi-Fi or other accounts. If other people are around, you may not want to compromise your password for privacy reasons.

Use your voice for lock screen commands:

1. To unlock your phone through voice, make sure Voice Access is in listening mode.
   • If Voice Access isn’t listening, use Gemini. To activate listening mode, say "Hey Google, start Voice Access.” This works from the lock screen.
2. To trigger the unlock screen, say “Show numbers” the number for the unlock button.
3. On the screen lock PIN number pad, you can automatically find phonetic labels.
   • To refer to each number button, use labels, like Alpha or Bravo.
4. Say the corresponding label for each number.
   • For example, if your PIN is “1234,” say "Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Enter."

Use your voice for password commands:

If the password text box defaults to hidden characters, say "Show password." This makes the characters visible and allows Voice Access to enter the text through voice commands.

Spell out your password one character at a time or you can say the full phrase.

For example, if your password is “Password123!”:

1. Say “Show password” “Capital password” “One, two, three.”
2. Say “Exclamation mark” “Enter.”

Search in apps

If you’re in an app with a search field, you can directly search and you don’t need to tap on the search bar first.

For example, to search for coffee shops nearby, say "Open Maps" “Search for coffee shops.” The Voice Access searches for you.

Other examples:

• Say “Open Chrome” “Search for carpenters in Seattle.”
• Say “Open YouTube” “Search funny animal videos.”
• Say “Open Gmail” “Search hotel booking.”
• Say “Open Settings” “Search Accessibility.”

Answer calls

If you receive a call, you can answer it by saying "Answer call."

You can also set Voice Access to automatically turn on listening mode for incoming calls, in case listening mode was turned off. With this setting on, Voice Access listening turns on when the call comes in and deactivates when the call is answered. When the call ends, listening mode reverts to its state from before the call.

During a phone call, Voice Access listening is off by default. To use Voice Access during phone calls:

1. Open your device’s Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility Voice Access Settings.
3. Tap Activation.
4. Turn on Keep active during phone calls.

Tips:

• The person on the other end of the call can hear the commands you give through Voice Access.
• If you keep the default setting, Voice Access listening turns off when the call starts. However, this requires the other caller to hang up or for you to use the screen button to end the call, since Voice Access won’t be listening.

Make calls

You can make a call in 2 ways:

• Call a phone number: Say, "Call [number]" and speak out the numbers that you'd type into the Dial pad.
• Call a contact: Say, "Call [name].” You can use their first name, last name, or both.
  • If multiple contacts match the name you say, you’ll be prompted to pick the right one.

If you use English, to copy a phone number, say “Copy this phone number.” If there’s more than one phone number, Voice Access asks you to choose one through numbered labels.

Perform custom system actions

Your device might have unique system actions, like opening the taskbar on a tablet. You can find these special commands under "Basics & navigation" in your Voice Access settings.

Adjust the slider

Some apps and surfaces may have a slider, like the time slider within a video. With Voice Access commands, you can move this slider forward and backwards when you use the “Show numbers” feature.

• To move the slider forward: Say, “Increment [label number]” of the slider.
• To move the slider backward: Say, ”Decrement [label number]” of the slider.

Use these commands to tap, scroll, and make other gestures with your voice. Replace the sample words in [brackets] with your own commands.

Touch gestures

• Tap [OK]
• [OK]
• Long-press [item]
• Drag [label or number]
• Check [item]
• Uncheck [item]
• Switch on [item]
• Switch off [item]
• Expand [notification]
• Collapse [notification]
• Dismiss [label or number]

Swipe gestures

• Scroll [up, down, left, right]
• Scroll [up, down, left, right] on [item]
  • This command can help you when there are multiple scrollable targets on the same page, like a horizontal image carousel within a vertically scrollable page. To avoid accidental scrolls on the wrong screen area, specify the number label of the surface you want to scroll on.
• Scroll to top
• Scroll to bottom
• Swipe forwards
• Swipe backwards
• Swipe bottom edge
• Swipe left edge
• Swipe right edge
• Swipe top edge

Important: This feature requires Android 7.0 or later. Learn how to check your Android version.

In some apps, it's easier to navigate using a grid than by clicking specific objects. A grid is also helpful if something you want to click doesn't have a number.

1. To start grid selection, say "Show grid."
2. To make the grid bigger or smaller, say "More squares" or "Fewer squares."
3. To interact with the grid, say a number, or use commands. For example:
   • "3"
   • "Tap 7"
   • "Swipe right" or "Swipe left"
   • "Scroll up" or "Scroll down"
   • "Swipe 5 up"
   • "Swipe left on 12"
   • "Pinch in"
     • To zoom out on an app, like Maps.
   • "Pinch out"
     • To zoom in on an app, like Maps.
   • “Long press 8”
   • “Drag 10”
   • “Pinch out 11”
     • To pinch in a specific grid square.
4. To hide the grid, say "Hide grid."

Use these commands to type, edit, and format text with your voice.

Voice Access shows a blue border around editable text fields to show that you can start typing and editing. If the blue border doesn't appear around a text field, say the number next to the text field.

Tips:

• Replace [word or phrase] with your own commands.
• Commands with stars (*) work for characters, words, sentences, lines, or paragraphs.

Type text

• Start editing
  • Selects a text field to begin typing by voice.
• Stop editing
  • Stop editing text so your next command isn't interpreted as a text entry.
• Type [word or phrase]
  • For example, say "Type running 5 minutes late."
• [word or phrase]
  • When the cursor is in the new message text field, you can say, "Running 5 minutes late."
• Undo
  • Reverts the last text edit.
• Redo
  • Redo the last undone text edit.
  • To repeat a command, say “Again” not “Redo.”
• Insert [word or phrase] before [word or phrase]
  • For example, "Insert big before small."
• Insert [word or phrase] after [word or phrase]
• Insert [word or phrase] between [word or phrase] and [word or phrase]
• Format email
  • This command formats nearby text as an email address, if possible. For example, to format the text "info at company dot com" as an email address ([email protected]) say "format email."
• Stop editing

Punctuation

• Add a comma
  • For example, say “Big comma small.” It appears as “Big, small.”
• Add a colon
  • For example, say “Big colon small.” It appears as “Big: small.”
• Add a semicolon
  • For example, say “Big semicolon small.” It appears as “Big; small.”
• Add a period
  • For example, say “Running late period.” It appears as “Running late.”
• Add an exclamation mark
  • For example, say “Running late exclamation mark.” It appears as “Running late!”
• Add a question mark
  • For example, say “Chocolate question mark.” It appears as “Chocolate?”
• Add double quotes
  • For example, say “Begin quote coffee end quote.” It appears as “ “coffee” “
• Add a single quote
  • For example, say “Single quote coffee single quote.” It appears as “ ‘coffee’ “
• Add a new line
  • For example, say “New line.” The cursor moves down to a new line.

Replace text

• Replace [word or phrase] with [word or phrase]
• Replace everything between [word or phrase] and [word or phrase] with [word or phrase]
• Capitalize [word or phrase]
• Uppercase [word or phrase]
  • Makes the entire word capitalized
• Lowercase [word or phrase]
  • Makes the entire word lowercase

Delete text

• Delete
• Delete all
• Delete [word or phrase]
• Delete to the beginning
• Delete to the end
• Delete selected text
• Delete from [word or phrase] to [word or phrase]
• Delete [3] words*
• Delete the next [5] sentences*

Move the cursor

• Go to the beginning
• Go to the end
• Move after [word or phrase]
• Move before [word or phrase]
• Move between [word or phrase] and [word or phrase]
• Right [4] characters*
• Left [6] words*

Select text

• Select all text
• Unselect all text
• Select to the beginning
• Select to the end
• Select [word or phrase]
• Select from [word or phrase] to [word or phrase]
• Select [5] sentences*
• Select the next [6] lines*

Cut, copy & paste

• Cut
• Copy
• Paste

Tip: To select the text you want to cut or copy, say “Highlight [phrase].” Then say the command “Cut” or “Copy,” followed by instructions on where to move your text cursor, like “Move down 3 lines.” Then say “Paste.”

Show or hide the keyboard

• Show keyboard
• Hide keyboard

Important: This feature requires Android 7.0 or later. Learn how to check your Android version.

To magnify your Android device's screen, use Magnification commands. These commands make the current screen larger and don’t perform a zoom action on a zoomable surface, like Google Maps. To zoom in on those apps, use grid selection and the “Pinch out” voice command to zoom in.

Start magnification

• Start magnification
• Start zooming

Zoom in or out

• Magnify
• Zoom in
• Enhance
• Zoom out

Pan up, down, left, or right

• Scroll [up, down, left, right]
• Pan [up, down, left, right]
• Move [up, down, left, right]
• Go [up, down, left, right]

Stop magnification

• Stop magnification
• Stop zooming
• Cancel zooming

You can do any of the following actions to stop Voice Access:

• Say "Stop listening."
• If available, tap the Activation button .
• Turn the screen off. To save battery, Voice Access automatically stops when the screen is off. To customize Voice Access’s behavior when the screen wakes up, go to Voice Access Settings Listening behavior on screen wake up.
• Open your notification shade, then tap Touch to pause.
• If you set up a Bluetooth or wired switch as an activation key, you can press the switch to stop Voice Access.
• If you turned on "Time out after no speech" in Voice Access settings, wait thirty seconds.

Tip: To turn off the Voice Access app entirely:

1. Tap Settings Accessibility Voice Access.
2. Turn off Voice Access.

For more Accessibility help, contact the Disability Support team.