MUST READ..Speak up! 150 ways to make Android Voice Search work for you
By JR Raphael, ITworld | Mobile & Wireless, android phones, android voice search 9
September 11, 2013, 9:05 AM —
itworld.com
Listen up, Android users: It's time to start talking.
Not for my benefit, mind you (although I do always enjoy a friendly conversation). No -- I'm talking about talking to your phone or tablet.
Your Android device has a powerful voice control system just waiting for your command. It's called Android Voice Search -- and it's frequently updated with fresh functionality.
I've spent many an hour jabbering into my phone to find interesting ways to make Voice Search work. I've felt like a bit of a nutjob at times (it's a good thing my wife knows me well enough not to have me committed), but I've managed to track down a meaty collection of cool commands -- many of which I never realized existed.
What Voice Search can't do
For all of its capabilities, there are still some things Android Voice Search should be able to do but can't. Things like:
• Activating Bluetooth
• Activating Wi-Fi
• Turning on airplane mode
• Turning on the phone's camera light
• Reading your latest text messages or emails aloud
• Powering down the device
• Making you a sandwich
...maybe one day.
So grab your nearest gadget, clear your throat, and start a-speakin': Here are 150 things Android Voice Search can do for you now.
(You can access Voice Search from any Android device by tapping the microphone icon on the home screen search bar or within the Google Nowapplication. If you have a Moto X, you can also get there hands-free by saying "Okay, Google Now" anytime your phone's in earshot. You can access some Voice Search commands from your desktop, too; it's particularly easy if you use Google's Chrome browser.)
Getting personal
Voice Search works hand-in-hand with other Google services to give you personalized information. It can pull up info based on confirmations and receipts in your Gmail inbox, for instance. Try asking things like:
"What's my flight status?"
"Is my flight on time?"
"When will my package arrive?"
"Show me my purchases"
"Show me my reservations"
"Where's my hotel?"
Getting your stuff
Let Voice Search do the heavy lifting when you need to find something you've saved in Gmail, Google+ Photos, or Google Drive:
"Show me my latest email"
"Show me email from Saul Hudson"
"Show me emails about spring break"
"Show me my photos from London"
"Show me my photos of sunsets"
"Show me pictures I took at concerts"
"Show me my documents"
"Show me my documents on taxes"
"Show me my spreadsheets on income"
"Show me my screenshot files"
Getting organizedYou can use Voice Search to access info from your Google Calendar. Try variations on these commands:
"What are my plans for tomorrow?"
"When is my anniversary event?"
"When is my appointment for training?"
"When is my meeting with Dan?"
"When's my next haircut?"
"What's on my agenda for September 30th?"
"What's on my calendar for Friday?"
"When is my next meeting?"
You can also use Voice Search to create new reminders, alarms, and appointments. For example:
"Remind me to get the mail in two hours"
"Remind me to buy biscuits this Saturday"
"Wake me up at 7 a.m. tomorrow"
"Wake me up in 30 minutes"
"Set an alarm for 3 hours from now"
"Haircut tomorrow at 2"
"Schedule a meeting tomorrow morning with Roger"
"Schedule an appointment to see the doctor on Monday at noon"
You can set location-based reminders, too, which will pop up when you're in the appropriate place. For instance:
"Remind me to call Angelina when I get to LAX"
"Remind me to take out the trash when I get home"
"Remind me to break the fax machine when I get to work"
And last but not least, you can send a simple note to yourself by saying "Note to self" and then whatever it is that you want to remember. Voice Search will compose an email to you using the default Gmail account on your device with transcribed text of your message and an audio attachment of your voice. You can also instruct it to save the message to Google Keep or any other compatible note-taking service, if you prefer.
Getting in touch
Want to communicate without all the finger tapping? Try prompts like these:
"Call Carly Rae Jepsen"
"Call Mom mobile"
"Call Bob Sacamano home"
"Call Jay Riemenschneider work"
"Call McDonald's on Third Street"
"Call the Hilton in Downtown Chicago"
"Send text to Dad -- running late, be there in 10 minutes"
"Send email to Natalie Portman -- what you doin' tonight?"
"Send email to Natalie Portman -- subject 'Your dreams have finally come true,' body 'I'm in New York'"
"What's Mom's phone number?"
"What's Donald Trump's work number?"
"What's Larry Page's email address?"
Note: You'll need to use people who are actually in your contacts for any of these commands to work.
Note 2: If you didn't already realize that, please stop reading this and go bop yourself on the head.
Getting around
Need some help finding your way? Let Voice Search be your guide. Some sample queries to keep in mind:
"What's a good Thai place near me?"
"Where's a museum around here?"
"Where's the closest bowling alley?"
"Where is the nearest Burger King?"
"When does Office Depot close?"
"Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art open now?"
"How long will it take me to drive to Olive Garden?"
"How far is Red Lobster from my location?"
"Navigate to 123 Sesame Street"
"Take me to Bank of America by foot"
"Go to Wal-Mart with public transportation"
"Where am I?"
"Show me things to do in Atlanta"
"How's traffic in St. Louis?"
"Find me a hotel nearby"
"I need a hotel room in Houston for tomorrow"
"Show me a map of LAX"
"Where is Brookstone located in LAX?"
"Find me a flight to Chicago"
"What's the code for the Chicago Midway airport?"
You can also use Voice Search to get updates on specific flights:
"United 465"
"Is Delta 5932 on time?"
"When does American Airlines flight 1 arrive?"
And if you're trying to identify a landmark -- or just want to see some pretty pictures -- holler away:
"Show me photos of Big Ben"
"Pull up images of the Statue of Liberty"
Getting weather
You can ask your device for detailed forecast info in almost any way you want:
"Is it going to rain this weekend?"
"How hot is it gonna be on Sunday?"
"Do I need an umbrella today?"
"When is it going to rain next?"
"What's the weather in San Francisco?"
Getting news
Google's Voice Search can do a lot related to news, stocks, and sports. All you've gotta do is ask:
"When's the next Cubs game?"
"What was the score of the Cardinals game last night?"
"Did the Marlins win their last game?"
"Show me news stories about Syria"
"What's Yahoo stock trading at today?" (Or simply "Yahoo stock" or "Y-H-O-O.")
Getting date and time info
Wherever you are, whenever it is, commands like these can come in handy:
"What time is it in London?"
"What time zone is Milwaukee in?"
"When is the sunset tonight?"
"When's the sunrise in Australia?"
"When is Father's Day?"
"When does daylight savings begin?"
Getting entertainment
Voice Search can serve as a hands-free remote to play music from Google Play Music or any other compatible service. It can also play movies and other videos and get you detailed info on entertainment-related topics.
Behold:
"Listen to The Beatles"
"Listen to 'I Am the Walrus'"
"Play me songs from Abbey Road"
"What's this song?" (Or just activate Voice Search and say nothing; if music is playing, it'll automatically detect it and identify the tune.)
"What channel is 'The Big Bang Theory' on?"
"Play Life of Pi"
"Show me a video of fireworks"
"When does Anchorman 2 come out?"
"Showtimes for Elysium"
"Do a barrel roll" (Hey, it's very entertaining.)
Getting celebrity stats
Voice Search can snag you all sorts of info about famous people. Try queries like these:
"Who's in the cast of 'Orange Is The New Black'?"
"Who directed The Dark Knight Rises?"
"Where did Jerry Seinfeld go to college?"
"Where was Jimmy Fallon born?"
"How much is Tom Cruise worth?"
"When did John Lennon die?"
"How did John Lennon die?"
"What was Marilyn Monroe's real name?"
"What movies has Scarlett Johansson been in?"
"How tall is Scarlett Johansson?"
"How old is Scarlett Johansson?"
"Why is JR Raphael so obsessed with Scarlett Johansson?"*
* Disclaimer: That last one may or may not work.
Getting calculations and conversions
Voice Search can handle any math-related question you throw its way:
"What's 5812 times 247?"
"What's 19.4 percent of 240.37?"
"What's 14 inches in millimeters?"
"What's 12 in hexadecimal?"
"What's 78 U.S. dollars in Euros?"
"Show me a graph of sin x"
You can also simply say "Calculator" to bring up a full calculator right in the Google Now interface.
Getting healthy
Voice Search can give you nutritional info:
"How many calories are in popcorn?"
"How much protein is in a banana?"
"Is there sugar in apples?"
"How many carbs in corn?"
Getting around your phone
It can open apps and complete a variety of app-based functions, too:
"Open Calendar app"
"Open cnn.com"
"Search Amazon for a Bluetooth headset"
"Get me the Nova Launcher app"
"Post to Google+ -- 'I just wanna dance, dance, dance'"
"Tweet that I like cheese'"
Getting answers
Still itching for more Voice Search action? Try variations on some of these questions:
"How do you say 'thank you' in Spanish?"
"What's the definition of 'pickle'?"
"What is area code 323?"
"Who's the mayor of Boston?"
"What's the population of Dallas?"
"What's the state flower of Missouri?"
"What does the state flag of Wisconsin look like?"
"What are the dimensions of 'Starry Night'?"
"Who's the CEO of General Electric?"
"Who founded Yahoo?"
"Who is Marissa Mayer married to?"
"Who wrote The Hunger Games?"
"When was the first episode of 'Cheers'?"
"What's the theme song to 'Friends'?"
"How long is The Godfather?"
"How long is the Golden Gate Bridge?"
"When did the Georgia Aquarium open?"
"What's the height requirement for the 'Incredible Hulk' roller coaster?"
"When was the Sistine Chapel built?"
"How far away is the moon?"
"What's the temperature of the sun?"
"What's the loneliest number?"
"What's the answer to life, the universe, and everything?"
If that last one doesn't cover all the bases, I don't know what does.
JR Raphael is the author of the Android Power blog and a fan of talking to inanimate objects. For more Android tips and insights, follow him on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook. |
